The Girl Next Door
by Saracen RedHawk
Summary: Chrono thought his life was pretty uncomplicated. Everything was going great. That was, until the new neighbors moved in across the street...
1. The Girl Next Door Part 1

Author's note: How goes me amigos? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my first fic just yet. This fic is just something I wanted to get out there before I forgot about it. Rest assured that I am working on chapter 11 of The Day I Met Rosette Christopher. I'm just thinking on how I should take that fic further. Well anyways, the usual crew will be making their return. Except this time, Satella will be playing a larger role. Lets just say she was not impressed that she didn't even get a part in my last fic, and she threatened to set loose one of those creatures she summons on me if I didn't. Easy choice then. Also Joshua will be there and he will not be the usual poor little sick kid. He's been sick enough as it is, cut the kid some slack for once. He will have a more active role this time and when I told him he was very happy indeed. Now I'm not knocking other people's fics but Chrono will not be the perfect saint he's portrayed as most of the time. Rather ironic since he's supposed to be a demon. He will have some character flaws and a very troubled past, you'll read more about that as this fic progresses. Also there will be no special powers or anything this time. Chrono along with Aion will be humans this time so try to imagine them without the pointy ears and you should do just fine. Okay I've said enough. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or any of its characters, nor do I own any of the brands, trademarks etc. mentioned in this fic. If I did I'd be a very rich man indeed.

The Girl Next Door

Chapter 1

It was a usual day. School had just come out, and with the usual enthusiasm students poured out of the doors and into the freedom of the afternoon. Most students had friends they would usually walk home with and talk with about the events of the day. Like the prank that was played on the science teacher during science class. Or the latest gossip that was going around. Who was dating who and who was the most popular? Yes, to the casual observer it would look like young people enjoying their youth. All except for one. A young man of about 16 was walking home on his own, like he had done for 2 years already. Everyday it was the same routine over and over. And he preferred it that way.

His peers in school considered our young friend a bit of an outcast. But he didn't care. Anyone who knew him for long enough would know that leaving him alone was the best option. Maybe it was his unusual looks that gave the impression. His long violet hair was very exotic and unusual looking, tied up in a braid at the back. His eyes had a red shine to them that must've made him look menacing to anyone who didn't know him.

His destination was his uncle and aunts' house, where he and his brother had been staying for the last two years. Ever since their parents experienced problems in their marriage, they were sent to live with their relatives while the parents tried to resolve their issues. He opened the door to the kitchen and a familiar voice asked," So how was your day, Chrono?"

And as usual he answered back, "Okay, I guess, Aunt Kathy."

Then he would make his way upstairs to his room. Since he had no friends to speak of, he would spend the rest of his day listening to some of his rock music. Bands like Linkin Park, Static X, Disturbed, and System of a Down were his favorites. As he put down his bag, he looked at his extensive rock music collection. " So which one will it be today? Hmm…"

He scanned the CD's in the shelf until he came upon one he hadn't listened to in a long time, and smiled. This was one of the first album's he listened to from the band Disturbed, and it so happened that some of his favorite songs, _Fear_ and _Stupify, _were on that CD. He popped the disk into his sound system and cranked the volume up to full, sat back and listened. He needed it after the day he had.

Normally the volumes at which he played his music would tax the eardrums of most mortals, but not Chrono. His ears had become used to the sound over the years. Luckily for his neighbors, the room was sound proofed. But one could still hear subtle sounds on the outside. So it was with his next-door neighbor. She was trying to do her homework when the music was turned on. "There he goes again. I wish he could play something softer. And I wish he'd pick something more upbeat to play. Why does he always have to listen to that noise?"

Obviously she didn't share Chrono's taste in music. It had been like that every day since he came to town two years ago.

"Asmaria, could you come down here for a second?"

"Alright, mom, I'll be down in a sec." Anything to get away from the noise she had to endure.

Her mother, Missus Lydia Hendric, was waiting for her in the kitchen, busy making dinner. "What's up mom? Is that pasta you're making? Smells good, I can't wait", she said cheerfully. Her mother's homemade pasta was the family favorite in the Hendric household, and tonight they would be enjoying it once more. Asmaria was already imagining it.

"Oh there you are, dear. Dinner's not ready yet, but I have some good news."

"What kind of good news?"

"Remember the house across the street that's been in the market for a few months already? Well, Dad just phoned me and told me finally sold it to a man who's bringing his whole family with him. Isn't that great? Soon we'll have some new neighbors."

"Dad finally sold that house? That's great, Mom! Is that why you're making pasta?", she added with a grin.

"Yes. You know how much you're father loves my homemade pasta and I thought I'd surprise him when he comes home. He'd really enjoy it, don't you think?"

"So do the new neighbors have any children?"

"One teenage girl and one teenage boy, or so your father tells me. He was so excited over the phone. No one had any interest in the house for months, and today he finally sold it. Not that it was the only house in the market but it was sitting there and nothing was happening to it. The point is, he's glad he finally sold it. And so am I."

For the uninitiated, Ricardo Hendric, Asmaria's father, was the local real estate agent. An honest businessman, he worked hard to provide for his family. He was also a good father for his children, or in this case, child. Asmaria was his only child, but she was the light of his life. There was indeed much love in that family.

Meanwhile, in the house next door….

Our friend had just finished listening to his music when there was a knock on his door. "Is it safe to come in?"

"It's okay, Uncle Ryan, you can come in." He knew only his uncle would make a lame attempt at a joke like that. But he was just trying to lighten the mood. The door opened and in stepped his uncle. An unassuming man, he was nevertheless a very hard worker. His moustache made him look older than he really was, even though he was on the younger side of 40 years old. "So what's up sport? How was your day?"

Chrono silently sighed. He knew his uncle only cared about him, but these pep talks were getting a bit old. It was usually about the same thing and usually he gave the same answers. "My day was okay, uncle. Not much to report."

"Woah, tough crowd, I see. Come on, you can do better than that. Met anyone new recently? Got your eye on any particular girl? With looks like yours, I'm surprised you didn't introduce us to one yet."

"Uncle, stop. You know why I don't get out much and why I don't have any friends. Look what so-called friends got me, and every one of them laughed at me behind my back and abandoned me. If that's what friends do to you, then I don't want any. I'm better off on my own."

"Chrono, I know your parents' marriage problems affected you and your brother. I know it weighed heavily on you. It's not your fault. They had problems long before you even got involved with those losers in that gang. You can't compare everyone to them and think that all people are the same. I mean, am I the same as they were? Is your aunt the same as they were?"

"You don't understand uncle. It was more than that. Look, I don't feel like talking about it right now. All I know is that I want to be left alone. It's better that way. People will stab you in the back the first chance they get, and I'm sure as hell not gonna go through that again. Socializing is overrated in my book. I don't need it. Never have, never will. And that's the way it's gonna be. That's what I've decided on and it's final. I mean this with the greatest respect uncle, but could you please stop trying to get me socializing? We have this conversation every time and every time it doesn't get you anywhere. That attempt to get me to go the last school dance wasn't exactly successful, was it?"

"Your aunt and I are just worried about you. What you're doing isn't normal for a guy your age. When I was your age your father and I used to go out to town every Friday and Saturday night. And we had a string of girlfriends. Don't tell your aunt I said that, okay?", he adds with a grin, as if reminiscing about the good old days.

"With all due respect uncle, I don't care about your young days and what you did as a teenager. None of your "friends" ever stabbed you in the back, did they? So how can you begin to understand what I went through? Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't have any idea what it was all about."

"Okay Chrono, I won't talk about it for now. But you can't avoid people all your life. There will always be people around you, no matter how hard you try to get away from them. By the way, Mr. Hendric from next door told me we'll be seeing some new neighbors around here soon. He found a buyer for the house across the street that's been empty for a while."

"And I care because?", Chrono thought to himself silently. He personally didn't care it there were new neighbors or not. All he knew was that they had better stay out of his way. The previous neighbors' son annoyed him no end when they were still there, and it ended up with the boy being the proud owner of two black eyes, and having two of his teeth removed by a well-timed punch to the mouth. Chrono had no time for people who annoyed him, and he made it clear that if the he (the neighbors' son) ever mentioned that Chrono was the one responsible, he would make the next beating even more painful.

"And we'll also be having an extra guest for dinner", his uncle added.

"Aion brought Sarah for dinner again, eh?"

"That's right. I think those two are really hitting it off. And tomorrow they'll be going on a date. Ah, to be young and in love," he said with a smile.

Chrono didn't care in the least how his brother's personal life was going. He was quite happy being on his own without having to hear about Aion's business as well. And he cared even less about Sarah. But for his sake he had to act nice in front if her. It was something he could live with.

"Okay, I'll be down for dinner in a moment, uncle."

"Good. I'll see you then."

The next day…

Chrono was woken up by the alarm clock next to his bed. He had rigged his sound system to play the Limp Bizkit song _Breakstuff _every morning when his alarm clock went off. It was the appropriate kind of song for him simply because it symbolized the way he felt about every day. As the song said, everybody had better stay out of his way. Breakfast followed shortly after. After that, he got his backpack ready for school. A quick shower followed, after which he opened up his cupboard with all his clothes in and decided what to wear for the day. On this day, he decided on his pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt, along with his favorite pair of sneakers. Then he said goodbye to his Aunt Kathy before he went out the front door and walked to school. On this morning, Asmaria happened to be coming out of house the same time as Chrono. She saw him walking past the house and decided to take a chance. Maybe he's in a better mood than most mornings, she thought. "Hi Chrono", she said cheerfully.

Chrono heard her, but didn't answer back. He just walked past as if he never heard her in the first place.

"Geez, I guess I was expecting too much. He's never answered back so why should he start now? Oh well, I tried."

She wondered why Chrono had to be like that. She knew that deep down inside he was a good person. He once took care of some bullies who were giving her a hard time. Said bullies walked out of that fight with bloody noses and some black eyes. When she wanted to thank him, he simply answered,"Don't mention it. No, I really mean it. Don't tell anyone about this."

But like in any school, rumors spread like wildfire, and soon everybody knew what Chrono had done. It wasn't the first time Chrono had done something similar. A football jock once made the unfortunate mistake of making fun of Chrono's hair. Chrono just smiled to himself, looked up at him, and said, " You, me, after school, behind the dumpsters. See you there."

The jock learned the hard way that Chrono is not one to be mocked. Even though he had the size advantage, Chrono had the speed advantage and so he picked on the vulnerable spots. Soon the jock was tired out. Then came Chrono's chance. First he delivered a numbing blow the midsection that had jock-boy doubling over with pain and gasping for breath. Then he delivered a rain of punches to his face and other vulnerable areas. Then he gave him "the mark of Chrono" as it would later be called: two swelling black eyes. Once again, the news spread throughout the school: someone in a lower grade had beaten up a football jock! This was unheard of. No one had ever dared challenge their authority before.

And today looked like it would be one of those days for Chrono. Chrono never looked for trouble on his own. He stayed out of everyone's way and they did the same. But occasionally, like a certain detective in the _Die Hard_ movies, trouble found him. The trouble would come in the form of Brian Higgins, yet another jock that always got the girls and was always popular to be around. As yet, he didn't know about Chrono and his reputation since Brian had transferred from another school only a few months before. But today he would realize the truth of Chrono's reputation in a most painful way.

It was lunchtime, and only the very desperate and very brave dared the halls of the cafeteria. The legends that surfaced because of the cafeteria made the wary avoid it. One rumor that went around was one about a boy who tried the cafeteria food and the next day, he didn't show up for school. In fact, he was never seen again. Such were many of the legends, all of them untrue of course, but thought to be true by all who listened to them.

Chrono sat down to eat lunch, on his own of course. He found a bench to sit on and was about to open the packed lunch his aunt Kathy had made for him when Brian and his "crew" showed up. Brian, unfortunately unaware of Chrono's reputation, decided he'd like the bench he was sitting on. Feeling confident and cocky, he walked over to Chrono, and in a superior tone, said, "Hey you, I think my crew and I would like this bench, so if you don't mind leaving-"

"Get lost, I was here first", Chrono answered back in an indignant tone.

Brian couldn't believe his ears. No one but no one had ever had the nerve to tell him to get lost. And he wasn't about to let this longhaired freak start. "Excuse me. What did you just say? I don't think I heard right. Did you guys hear that too?", he responded in a threatening tone.

"If you didn't hear that then I can recommend a good doctor 'cause either your ears are full of wax or your hearing's going down the drain. I said get lost, in case you didn't hear the first time."

"I don't think he understands what he's getting himself into, guys. I think we should make him see just what happens to people that insult me", he said to his crew. This would not be allowed to go further. I'm gonna make that little longhaired freak pay for this, Brian thought angrily.

Chrono knew where this was going. He had been in this situation too many times before. "Alright then. If you wanna settle this, then meet me after school behind the dumpsters. I promise it'll be a fight you won't soon forget."

A smile formed across his face. This was going to be good. He just loved making these high and mighty people fall a few steps off their self-imposed thrones.

"So are you ready to go home crying to your mommy?", Brian asked. The scene was set behind the dumpsters, just as they had agreed. A crowd had gathered already. Somehow the news leaked out about the fight, and everyone who heard was there. Chrono was standing across from Brian and wasn't the least bit impressed by Brian's taunting. "That's exactly the kind of talk I'd expect from a brain dead muscle bound ape like you. Can't you think of anything better?"

"Just you wait. All these people are gonna see me turn you into dead meat. You're about to enter a world of hurt," he answered back confidently. There's no way he's gonna win, I'll make sure of that, he thought to himself. "He's gonna wish he was never born."

"All I see in front of me is a oversized gorilla who's being followed by a even dumber bunch of chimps. Are you gonna start this fight or is your plan to talk me to death?"

"Fine then, let's get this started!", Brian shouted as he charged toward Chrono in a blind rage, fist retracted and ready to strike. Chrono dodged out of the way in time and delivered a punch to Brian's midsection that had him gasping for air. He realized however that he couldn't show any weakness in front of the others, so he tried to ignore the pain and got up to his feet again. "Lucky shot, Chrono. But try to dodge this!"

Chrono sighed to himself. "Here he goes again, making the same mistake."

Instead of punching back this time, Chrono sidestepped and tripped Brian who in turn fell down flat on his face. This is too embarrassing, Chrono thought to himself. "He's making a fool of himself without realizing it. I'd better end this quick."

Brian was absolutely furious by now. He was literally boiling over with anger and frustration. "You chicken! You're too scared too fight me head on, aren't you! Stop dodging all the time and fight like a man!"

"It'd help if my opponent was a man to begin with, instead of a spineless bully who gets his kicks from picking on people smaller than him. But if you insist, I'll stop dodging and fight head on. And I promise it'll hurt," he said, smiling mockingly at Brian. "To tell the truth, it's embarrassing fighting you. You're not even a challenge to me."

"I'LL SHOW YOU!", Brian shouted as he charged yet again at Chrono. But Chrono was ready for him. As Brian came in close, Chrono released a punch that hit Brian full on the side of his face, stunning him. Then Chrono unleashed his full fury on Brian. He got Brian in all the vulnerable spots and had him doubling over with pain. Then Chrono delivered his finisher, as the others called it: "the mark of Chrono."

Two hard fists to the side of the face would ensure Brian of having to walk around with two black eyes for the next few weeks. As Brian was lying on the ground in the fetal position groaning with pain such as he had never felt before, Chrono threw a glance in the direction of Brian's "crew."

"So any of you guys feel like picking up where your leader left off? I'm just getting warmed up", he said with a confident smile. Just as he expected, everyone in the "crew" had a different excuse why they couldn't stay to finish it before they ran for their lives. They had no intention of suffering the same fate as their leader.

Then he threw a glance to the crowd that witnessed the fight. "You people think guys like him are so high and mighty, eh?", he asked as he pointed to the groaning form of Brian. "Look what I just did to him. Where's his gang now? They all abandoned him back there. Where's his power now? Don't you get it? He's nothing but a spineless coward who needs to bully others so he can feel powerful. He thinks picking on others makes him a man, but being a man is about more than that. And you people give guys like him the power to bully others when you allow them to do it. He only has power as long as you allow them to have it. It's time to stand up for yourselves. I can't be expected to take care of this all the time."

And with that he picked up his backpack and started walking home. "Today was one hell of a day. Thank goodness it's Friday."

Eventually his house came into view. He welcomed the sight of it more than anything. And as he made his way to his room, he thought of the CD he would be listening to in a moment's time, and smiled. He would need it after the day he had.


	2. The Girl Next Door Part 2

The Girl Next Door

Chapter 2 

Except for the news of Brian's less than impressive fight, it was business as usual for Chrono. Brian never came near him now, and made himself scarce when Chrono was in the area. As it goes with rumors, new ones took the place of the old ones, and soon everyone had forgotten about the fight and was talking about other things. But something was about to happen to our friend that would completely overturn his world. The day of the new neighbor's arrival was coming closer. By now he had forgotten about it, seeing as he had other things to worry about.

It was about one month after his uncle told him about the new neighbors. The first indication of any new neighbors was the moving truck that showed up at the empty house one Friday as Chrono walked home from school. "Huh? What's up with the truck?", he wondered to himself. "Oh yeah, they must be the new neighbors Uncle Ryan told me about. So their here already, eh? Go figure."

Parked in front of the truck was a car belonging to the neighbors. A man Chrono had never seen before in the neighborhood was directing the moving men. "I guess he's the guy who bought the house. Don't see his wife or children though. Wonder where they are?"

But as Chrono was unaware, the two children were indeed there. They had gone inside the house to see what it looked like. "So what do you think Rosette? This place sure is bigger than the old house, isn't it?" A young blonde haired boy of 15 was addressing his older sister. Like her brother, she was blonde as well. Her blue eyes were the most striking feature and one that people noticed first about her. Enthusiastically, she answered back," Sure is. Bigger backyard too. By the way Joshua, the room next to the bathroom so mine."

"Hey, no fair! I saw it first!"

"Yeah, but you didn't say you wanted it first. You snooze you lose, I always say."

Joshua couldn't argue. That was the agreement he had with her ever since they were little. If anyone of them saw something before the other, they had to say it was theirs before the other person could, as was the case with the room. "Aww, don't feel bad, bro. Come on, let's go outside. We didn't come all this way just to stare at the place."

"Okay, Rosette."

Our friend was watching the moving operation outside when Rosette and her brother came out. "Looks like a nice neighborhood, right Rosette?", Joshua asked his sister. An adventurous sort, he was always willing to try new things. Even though he would miss his old friends back in his old town, he saw this as a new opportunity so he was determined to make the best of it. "Yeah, I guess. Looks nice enough", she responded as she looked around. She was the more curious one of this brother and sister duo and had a reputation of being fearless back at her old school. Like her brother she was always ready to try new things.

"Well I guess it's just him here. Maybe his family is coming later. Like I care. They just have to stay out of my way, and everything will be just fine." Chrono turned around and headed for his house. He wanted to get home and listen to one of his CD's again. But that pleasure was almost denied him. The next moment he heard a voice behind him saying "Hi" cheerfully. It was Joshua. He saw Chrono walking past a moment before and true to his nature of trying new things; he walked over to Chrono with the intention of saying hello to a new neighbor.

He wanted to pretend he didn't hear the voice behind him, but unfortunately Chrono couldn't pretend he didn't hear. It was too close, merely a few feet away. So he turned around and saw Joshua standing in front of him. "What does this little punk want? I don't have time for this."

Joshua couldn't have known Chrono's reputation. As such he was unaware that Chrono wasn't one for friendly hellos. "Hi," he said extending his hand at the same time so he could shake hands. Chrono just stared at Joshua levitating his hand in the air expecting a handshake. He wasn't getting one from Chrono anytime soon. When Joshua saw that no handshake was forthcoming, he tried a less direct approach. "Hi there. I'm Joshua. I'm you're new neighbor. I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other and-"

But Chrono wasn't one for friendly conversations either. Before Joshua could finish his sentence, Chrono interrupted. "Listen kid, lets get one thing straight: I never was and never will be your friend. I don't care where you come from, and I care even less about being your neighbor. I'll give you some advice for free: stay out of my way and you won't get hurt. Now buzz off and go annoy someone else, I've got things to do without you interrupting me."

Joshua was completely surprised with this response. No one had ever talked to him like that after one of his friendly hellos. But he wasn't one to give up easily. He tried again. "But-"

"Have you got hearing problems kid? I said buzz off. Consider this a friendly warning."

"Hey, you can't talk to my brother like that!"

Rosette had been watching the scene. She cut in when she heard Chrono threatening her brother. "Sis, it's okay. You don't have to interfere. I can handle myself."

But at the same time he was glad she showed up. He was starting to feel uncomfortable about the situation.

"So these two are brother and sister? I should've guessed as much," Chrono thought to himself.

As one could see in this situation, Rosette was very overprotective of her younger brother, much to Joshua's detriment. He didn't want her treating him like a little kid anymore.

"What is your problem, buddy? He was just trying to say hello. Was it really necessary to talk to him like that?", Rosette demanded of Chrono.

"I don't owe your brother anything. And I was just giving him some advice and now I'll give you the same advice: You'd both be wise to stay out of my way. And if you don't believe me, then you can ask anyone in town about my rep. You can even ask Asmaria next door to my place, she'll give you the scoop on the best way to stay in my good books."

"Listen you-"

As she was about to finish her sentence she looked up into his eyes for the first time. And he too got a look into her sapphire blue eyes and for a moment they stood there staring. This was the first time she had ever seen eyes like his. So sinister and mysterious, so different from anything she had seen before. And Chrono saw in her eyes a gentleness that belied her tomboy nature. They would have kept staring at each other if Joshua hadn't interrupted. "Uh, Sis I think Dad's calling us. We'd better go."

"Huh? Oh yeah right."

Chrono, who had also snapped out of the trance, turned around and said, "Whatever. I hope I don't see you two later," in an indignant tone before he walked off.

"Rosette, what just happened back there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, I saw the way you were looking into each other's eyes. You can't tell me you like him or anything?"

"Are you crazy, Joshua? Of course I don't like him. How could I after he said all things to you? He's a jerk, and a big one at that. And Dad didn't really call us, did he?"

"You saw right through me Rosette. You're right, Dad didn't call us. I just said that so you could stop staring at each other."

"That's okay Joshua. Now come on, we should get back to the house or Dad's really gonna worry."

"Okay Rosette."

Chrono had just gone through the kitchen door and was greeted by aunt Kathy who was busy in the kitchen. "So Chrono, did you see the moving truck? I bet the new neighbors are here already."

"Yeah, I saw the truck."

"And did you see any of the new neighbors?"

By now Chrono was sick of hearing the words "new neighbors." He had heard it enough times to last him a lifetime.

"Only caught a glance, aunt Kathy."

"And did you say hi them?"

"No, I didn't. If you don't mind, I'd like to get to my room, aunt Kathy."

"But Chrono, they're our new neighbors. It would only be the right thing to welcome them into the community."

"Look, Aunt Kathy, with all due respect, I don't owe them anything and I don't have any desire of getting to know them any time soon. All I can say is that they'd better stay out of my way."

"Come on Chrono, you can't go through life with that attitude. You can't run away from people all your life. No man is an island, they say."

I can damn well try and for your information, I like living on my island, he thought to himself.

"Besides, you probably know that once they're settled in we'll be having them over for dinner."

Typical aunt Kathy. She loved to have people over for any occasion you could care to mention. He just knew she would make use of this occasion to do just that. And then he'd probably have to be nice to them too. Sure, under normal circumstances he'd be able to endure it. Unfortunately, had he not been so mean to Joshua things would be different. "Oh come on, what the hell do you care what that little punk and his sister think of you? They have nothing to do with you. You don't owe them anything. The sooner they know how to deal with you, the better for them. It can only be to their advantage", Chrono thought to himself. Before his aunt could continue the conversation he made his way upstairs to his room. In a moment he had the song _Shock_ from the band _Fear Factory_ resounding through his room. "Ah, that's some good tunes right there."

He smiled as he said that, lied down on his bed and listened. Homework would be for later. He didn't have a lot anyway so he wasn't that worried about it.

Meanwhile, outside….

Asmaria was neighborlier than Chrono was and in no time she was talking with Joshua and Rosette like old friends. "I hope you'll like it here. This is a real nice and peaceful town."

"Yeah, well so far we haven't had a warm welcome", Rosette added.

"Haven't had a warm welcome? What do you mean?"

"Some guy with long violet hair threatened me and told me to stay out of his way after I tried to say hello to him", Joshua recounted, and the afternoon's events still fresh in his memory.

"Long violet hair? Oh, you must mean Chrono. Don't worry about him. That's just the way he is. He won't hurt you unless you give him reason to. Just stay out of his way and everything will be okay."

"Well that's just a bad attitude if you ask me. What's his problem anyway?", Rosette asked Asmaria.

"No one knows except for his uncle, aunt, and brother. But I know that deep down inside he's a good person. He doesn't hurt anyone unless they don't leave him any other choice."

"Excuse me, Asmaria, but why are you defending the guy? In case you haven't noticed he's a jerk. He was totally rude to me and Joshua."

"That was just his way of telling you how things work around here. He didn't mean he was going to beat up Joshua. He would never beat up anyone weaker than him. He's honorable that way. One time these bullies were giving me a hard time and then Chrono showed up and told them to leave me alone. Let's just say they walked, or rather limped, out of that encounter with a few more bruises and a bleeding nose for each of them. And a few weeks ago he beat up Brian Higgins, a notorious bully who was looking for trouble. I know Chrono doesn't look like much, but when he goes all out even guys bigger than him go down in just a few hits."

"Well whatever. I don't like him anyway. No one talks to Joshua and me like that", Rosette added. "And he'd better stay out of our way."

Yet little did they know that soon Rosette and Chrono's paths would cross again…


	3. The Girl Next Door Part 3

Author's note: Hi there, everyone. It's me again with a new chapter. Once again, writer's block has me firmly in its clutches, and it's an uphill battle trying to fight it. Has anybody got any advice to get rid of it? Well, who knows, maybe more reviews would help cure the problem…(grins)…Seriously, I'm a bit stuck on how I should take this fic further. Your suggestions are welcome as always. Does anybody have any suggestions on what Chrono's last name should be, though? And what should the name of the town be? I can't keep referring to it as "the town", the whole time. Enough of my rambling already, you're all here for the chapter, so enjoy!

**The Girl Next Door **

**Part 3**

It was Saturday morning. Chrono was knocking on the door of an apartment, hoping that the occupant would open up. "Come on Gus, are you gonna open or not?"

Finally, after a while he heard a voice from the inside saying, "Alright, alright, I'm coming. Keep your shirt on, will ya?"

The knob on the door slowly turned, and out stepped Chrono's one and only friend, Angus McGregor, or Gus, as Chrono nicknamed him. The son of Scottish immigrants, he adapted to American culture early on when he was still a child and by now his American accent was flawless. "Whadda ya want? Can't a guy get some rest on a Saturday morning? And- Oh, it's you, Chrono! How ya been, buddy?"

Gus's whole facial expression changed when he realized it was Chrono standing in front of him. "Gus, it's been too long, man. Good to see you," Chrono said as he shook hands with Gus. Obviously they were glad to see each other. "Well don't just stand there, come in."

"Don't mind if I do."

Gus's place was a typical bachelor's apartment. Dirty clothes, socks, and empty fast food boxes were all over the place. But to Gus it was his home, his castle, and his roof over his head, so to speak. "So what brings you here on this sunny Saturday morning, my compadre?"

"I had to get away from my house for a while. I snuck out early this morning while everyone was still sleeping."

"So what's up at your house? Aion giving you hell again?"

"Aion giving me hell? Yeah right, if he ever tried that he'd end up in the dirt like all the other fools who've tried. Anyways, I left the house because of the new people that moved in to the empty house across the street. If I know my uncle Ryan, he'll be the good neighbor again and offer to help them move their stuff into the house. Ten to one he'd get me and Aion involved with it, and there is no way that I am gonna spend the day pretending to be nice to these new people."

"Sounds harsh man. Do these new people have any kids maybe?"

"One daughter and a son."

"And how old's the daughter"

"About my age, I guess."

"And is she something to look at that?", Gus asked with a grin on his face.

"You wish, Gus. I know what you're thinking. Look, here's the deal about both of them. The kid brother looks like he belongs in a boy band and his sister acts like an Avril Lavigne wannabe. Get the picture?"

"Loud and clear, my friend. Boy bands-yuck! Give me some Nirvana and I'm happy."

"Still into the old school stuff?"

"Hey, if you grew up with the old school stuff you'd understand. There's nothing like a classic song by Metallica, you know what I mean."

"I suppose. Every guy has his own taste. But enough of this. I got something I want talk to you about."

"Fire away, Chrono."

"Okay, here's the deal, Gus: In about two weeks my school is gonna have a dance for all the guys in my grade and higher. Now you know me, I hate those dances like I hate boy bands. So I was thinking, maybe the "phantom of the school dance" should strike again. Get my drift?"

Gus smiled. "I like the way you think, cuz. Same plan like last time?"

"Pretty much. I had an opportunity to check out the school's server computer and just like before, they haven't even stepped up the security. Same old crappy firewall, and the password haven't even been changed. The computer that stores the songs they play at the dance doesn't even have any security. So I'm gonna need your laptop again."

"You know me. I love causing all kinds of hell like this from behind the scenes. Sure you can borrow my laptop. There's no one else I'd trust with it."

"Thanks Gus. So what's been happening in your life so far? Still employed at Havenheit Industries?"

"Pretty much. Still working as a network administrator. It pays the bills, you know what I mean. A new face joined the administrator's team the other day. A female face. She's quite the looker, if you get my drift. She actually knows her stuff. Not just another pretty face. Her name's Karin."

"Are you gonna ask her out sometime, Gus?", Chrono joked.

"HEEEEELLLLL NO! Not after what happened last time. The whole experience made me wiser, and brought me to the conclusion that love is for losers. Never again, my friend. I like my freedom, and a woman in my life would only be like a ball and chain around my ankle. Nope, never again. Besides, I'm hopeless when it comes to women. I understand computers better than I understand them. At least a computer can't reject you or laugh at you behind your back."

"Tell me about it. After what happened with Jessica and me I never want to get involved with girls again. She made me think she loved me, but in reality she was laughing at me behind my back and took me for a fool."

"You haven't heard from her again?"

"No, Gus. Even if she phoned me or found me I wouldn't even give her the time of day. See if I care what happens to her."

"Hold on a moment Chrono, I'll be with you in a sec," Gus said as he went into the kitchen and reappeared again with two glasses of Coca-Cola.

"Nice one, Gus. This'll go down really great now. And may we never fall in love again", Chrono said as he raised his glass.

"I'll drink to that, buddy. Love is a pain in the ass neither of us need", Gus added as he likewise raised his glass. In a moment, they both emptied their glasses in a few gulps.

Perhaps this would be a good time to explain how these two met. It happened a few months after Chrono and Aion arrived in town. Chrono tried computer hacking one night and as fate would have it, he managed to gain access to Gus's home computer. Gus, who was at his computer at the time, noticed the unauthorized entry into his computer and proceeded to block the intruder out of his system. With a little creative hacking of his own, Gus found Chrono's home address. The next day Chrono got a knock on his door. When he opened up, Gus was standing there. Gus wasn't sure if it was Chrono who was responsible but he tried anyway. He told Chrono that he was impressed that he bypassed his security system. At first, he denied anything of the sort, but when he saw that Gus meant him no harm, he opened up to Gus and explained how he bypassed the security on Gus's computer. He was very impressed and offered to teach Chrono all he knew about computers and software. Since that day, they were close friends. As time went by, they found that they had a few things in common as well. Neither of them had a problem with the age difference between them.

"The phantom of the school dance" was something Chrono and Gus came up with. Chrono was looking for a way to make the school dances more "memorable", as it were. Memorable meaning that he wanted everyone to remember it for what went wrong instead of what went right. It so happened that Gus gained access to the school's server computer and network a few days before, just to see what was there. He showed Chrono what he found. Chrono had a look and he found that the songs that were played at the dance were stored on a computer. Then it hit Chrono. While the dance was still on, they would hack into the computer and change the songs with a few numbers of their own. The whole dance would be thrown into confusion and Gus and Chrono would have a merry laugh and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. "The phantom" had struck a few times before. At the last dance they replaced the song that was playing with a rock number. In fact, they replaced the whole list with rock numbers. The operator behind the computer was powerless to do anything, as Chrono had taken complete control of it from the laptop he was using, with Gus helping him. The legend of the "phantom" was born.

There was great activity at the house of the Christopher's. Chrono's uncle, aunt and brother, plus Asmaria and her family had shown up to welcome them into the neighborhood. Being the good neighbors they were, they offered to help them move the rest of their belongings into the house. Chrono was missed, of course, and his uncle spent a good part of the day asking around if anyone had seen him, but no one knew. Eventually his uncle gave up the search and continued with what he was doing.

Later…

The clock had just struck 7 o'clock when Chrono came walking through the kitchen door. He was about to head to his room when a voice that was all too familiar to him said, "Well, look what the cat dragged in. Where were you when we needed you?"

Chrono was quick to return his own fire. "I have a life too, Aion, and I don't have to explain to you what I do and when I do it.

"You have a life? When did this happen?", his brother joked.

"Three words, Aion: go screw yourself."

"Tell that to uncle Ryan, he was looking for you the whole day. We could've really used your help."

"What were you doing that you couldn't do without me, anyway?"

"Well, we were being friendly and helping the new people across the street move the rest of their stuff. And then I overheard Asmaria and the others talking about a violet haired guy who was making the new kids feel less than welcome. How many violet haired guys live around here, eh?"

"I was just explaining to the kid how things work around here. I wasn't going to beat him up. He wouldn't have been a challenge anyway."

"Geez, bro, you ever hear of the concept of people skills?"

"Ever hear the words "shut up", Aion?"

"Alright you two, knock it off."

Uncle Ryan had just come through the living room and found them arguing. "Aion, leave your brother alone, if he felt like going out today, he had every right to do it, although I would like to know where he's been."

"Can't be a girl he saw, 'cause with his attitude he'd scare off any member of the female species who'd show interest in him."

"Do the words "black eye" and "broken teeth," mean anything to you, Aion? 'Cause if you don't shut up right now, I'll personally make sure you get both."

"Bring it on, tough guy."

"That's enough you two. I'll ask the questions now. First of all, I want to know where you were today. I looked for you everywhere, but you were gone, and no one else saw you around."

"I was just seeing how things were going with Gus. There's nothing wrong with it. It's not like I did anything illegal."

"I still want to meet this Gus, Chrono. You've been far too mysterious about him. Next time, let us know where you're going, okay?"

"Okay, I will. Can I go now?"

"Sure. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," uncle Ryan added as Chrono went up to his room.

Aion couldn't believe what he just heard and saw. "I don't believe this! He's getting away with it."

"Not really, Aion. We can't blame him because we never told him what we planned on doing today. So he's innocent, if you think about."

"Oh come on, don't you think it's a bit coincidental that he wasn't here today? He's not stupid; he knew something like this was going to happen. You and I both know he avoids social situations like the plague, and he knew all too well that today would be one of those situations. He doesn't wake up before everyone else for nothing."

"The thought had crossed my mind too, Aion.You've been living here for the last two years, so I know both of you like you were my own sons. I'll let him off the hook this time. Besides, he'll have an opportunity to meet the neighbors when we have them over for dinner, and he can't escape from that," he said as smiled.

Once again, Chrono was woken up the sound of _Breakstuff _playing on his sound system, the signal that he had to wake up for school. The weekend had come and gone and now it was Monday. School would start in an hour's time, so he had to hurry. Unbeknownst to him, two other people were getting ready for their first day at a new school. "Come on, Rosette, we have to hurry. We can't be late for our first day." Joshua was ready to go, but Rosette was still running around. She was not a morning person at all, and the fact that she never heard the alarm clock go off weren't helping matters either. "Don't rush me, Joshua! We'll get there on time. Don't be such a worry wart."

Chrono was more rigid with his schedule, and by the time the Christopher children were done, he was already half way to school. As he walked along, the sounds of his favorite rock bands were playing in his ears, thanks to his MP3 player.

The bell had rung, and everyone rushed of to the class they were supposed to be at. Chrono was already taking his seat at his class, the class of Mr. Remington. But something was wrong. Mr. Remington was always on time, but this morning he was a few minutes late. Everyone wondered why when he came walking through the door with a new student at his side. "Good morning. Sorry for being late. Class, I have here a new student who will be joining us. Everyone, say hello to Miss Rosette Christopher."

Chrono couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What the hell is she doing here?", he wondered to himself. "I'll bet her little pipsqueak brother isn't far behind."

"Well, Miss Christopher, we have a policy that all new students introduce themselves to the class properly. Tell us a bit about yourself too."

Rosette, never having been the shy one, started off her introduction with gusto. After that was done, Mr. Remington looked for a place for her to sit. Then he spotted the empty seat next to Chrono's. "Why don't you take that seat next to Chrono there, then we can start."

Chrono's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "This is not happening! I swear Mr. Remington did that on purpose. He's got it in for me."

For a moment, he could've sworn that he saw a smile form across Mr. Remington's face, as if mocking him. And the last person on earth he wanted sitting next to him was walking down the row of seats toward him. "What did I ever do to him? I always finish my homework, I never give in any late assignments, so what could I possibly have done?"

On her way to her seat, Rosette recognized Chrono. "He's the miserable guy who threatened Joshua! Oh great, why did I have to end up next to him?"

So the feeling was mutual between them. Neither of them liked the way things had turned out, but there was nothing they could have done about it.

Eventually, the bell rung for recess. "Finally. Time to get out of here and away from her", Chrono thought. That thought would soon be shattered, however. Mr. Remington would be responsible for that once again. Chrono was about to leave the classroom when Mr. Remington looked up and said to him, "Chrono, would you mind showing Miss Christopher around the school? I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Chrono could not believe how his day was going. It was bad enough that she had ended up next to him of all people, but now this? What did he look like, the local tour guide? If it was somebody else, he'd have told them in no uncertain terms what they can go do with themselves. But this time it was an adult, and this adult happened to be his teacher. He couldn't have said no even if he wanted to.

Rosette was just as horrified. "What is going on? Why do I have to be stuck with him? It's bad enough I ended up next to him, and now this happens."

Chrono knew one thing though: this was going to be a long and frustrating day, to say the least.


	4. The Girl Next Door Part 4

Author's note: Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this fic. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long, but my motivation has been a bit low lately. Not to worry, I'm back to my old self. By the way: Happy New Year to all of you! May 2006 be even better than 2005 for you guys. Okay, enough of this, time for you to get on with the chapter, so enjoy!

**The Girl Next Door**

**Part 4**

Everyone was watching this scene with marked interest. Chrono's reputation was known throughout the school and they all knew he had quite a temper on him. They were wondering how he would handle this latest irritation. Frankly, they didn't rate his chances. "Hey, ten bucks says he's gonna hit her before recess is over."

"You feel like losing your money? Alright, we have ourselves a bet, pal."

Whispers were passed between students as Chrono and Rosette left the classroom, Chrono's mood evident on his face. "Someday Remington, someday soon, I'll get back at you. Don't care how; don't care when, but someday..."

He was thinking of maybe deflating the tires of Mr. Remington's car for starters, or some such other thought of vengeance, anything was possible at the moment. They were greeted by a few curious stares in the hallway. "Chrono is walking with a girl by his side today? Everybody, run for your lives, the apocalypse is here!", one student joked to his friends. "Yeah, laugh it up, I'll deal with you later", Chrono thought to himself. "Then we'll see what's so funny."

He made his way to his locker first, with Rosette right behind. To their horror, they saw that their lockers were next to each other. Could this get any worse?

Rosette wasn't happy either. This is not how she imagined her first day at the new school to be. She wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible." Listen, I know were both not exactly thrilled with the idea, but could we get this over with fast?"

Chrono threw a glance from behind the locker door. "Get what over with?"

"You know...showing me around the school..."

Chrono looked at her like she was out of her mind. "What gave you the idea I was ever gonna be your personal tour guide? Go find someone else who's that stupid and leave me out of it. Now get lost, I've got things to do" , he said as he finished up with the locker and locked it again. "Me, a tour guide? Yeah, right." But he wasn't getting out of it that easily. Rosette would make sure of that.

"Look here, pal, if I remember correctly Mr. Remington asked you to do it. What do you think he's gonna say when he hears you ignored him?"

"Obviously you haven't been here long enough and you obviously don't know Remington either. He's far too nice to ever say anything. Most of the time we just have to promise him not to do it again, and that's the end of that. So go take your idle threats somewhere else where someone might actually be scared of them. Because I'm not."

Rosette couldn't believe his attitude. "He's the most stubborn person I've ever met in my whole life! Desperate times call for desperate measures, Rosette! Time to show him what I'm made of."

Chrono was finished with his business at his locker. Reaching for his MP3 player, he flicked through the song selection until he found one he liked. He thought he'd found peace and quiet when Rosette interrupted him. "You're showing me around the school whether you like it or not, pal. Consider it a way to make up for the way you treated Joshua the other day. Hey, are you listening to me!"

Obviously not. The earphones of his MP3 player were inside his ears, the volume turned up impossibly high, just the way he liked it. Pretending she wasn't even there, he gathered his backpack and started walking.

"THAT TEARS IT!"

She was beyond angry now. "You bastard! Who do you think you are!"

Then she did the one thing no one ever dared to do to Chrono: she caught up to him, grabbed the cord of the earphones, and violently yanked them out of his ears.

Everyone watching held their breaths. Chrono stood there as if petrified, not quiet grasping the situation. He couldn't believe anyone would be so stupid to commit this, as he saw it, suicidal act. The last person who tried it…well, let's just say that it wasn't a pretty picture after Chrono was done with him.

The earphones in question, now free of Chrono's ears, were still blaring forth. The lead singer of the band "Drowning Pool" was loudly singing "Let the bodies hit the floor!" The song "Bodies" was playing, and at that same moment Chrono felt like making a few bodies hit the floor himself, the way only he can. Besides, who does this crazy chick think she is? How dare she!

But there was an awkwardness to this situation. The offender was a girl, so that in itself gave her some form of immunity. He couldn't exactly hit her, now could he? How would that make him look?

As much as he hated it, all he could do was try his best to ignore it and walk on. But that didn't mean he wasn't angry. On the contrary, his fist was clenched very tight and he was nearly shaking from the rage itself. But what could he do? This was one problem he wouldn't be able to solve with his fists.

Trying his best to keep himself calm, he grabbed the cord of the earphones and put them back in his ears. Everyone who was in his way parted like the Red Sea for fear they would be the next target of his rage. They weren't far from wrong. Chrono himself wished somebody would mess with him, so he could get rid of the frustration and beat the living hell out of someone. When Chrono was like this, the slightest thing could set him off.

"Ha, I told you so! Come on, fork over the ten bucks you owe me."

"Fine, you win. Here's your stinkin' money."

"Pleasure doing business with ya."

Rosette was still steaming mad when she saw her tactics having no effect. "Rosette!", a voice called out to her. She turned around to see Azmaria and Joshua coming toward her, panting heavily. "Are you okay? We heard what happened. He didn't hurt you, did he?", Joshua asked, still gasping for air. The news of Rosette and Chrono's encounter had spread throughout the school. Azmaria was the first one to hear, and when she did she went to find Joshua. Together they ran to get to Rosette before Chrono could do anything to her.

"I'm just fine, but he's made a big mistake! He's pissed off the wrong blonde!"

"Just let it go, Rosette. It's not worth it. Just leave him alone", Azmaria warned her. "Someone's just gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, Sis, I think she's right. Don't let him get to you."

But it was too late. She's already made up her mind. "He's gonna pay for this. Don't try to stop me."

"But Sis-"

"YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH IT?", she demanded of her younger brother, who was now aware that any attempt at negotiations with his sister had all but vanished into thin air. There was just no reasoning with her when she was like this.

"No, Sis", he sighed. Sometimes he wished she wasn't quite so fearless.

The rest of the day passed by slowly. Too slowly for Chrono's taste. He just wanted to get out of there and back home. Any place was better than being close to _her_. Luckily he didn't have to be next to her in every class but the fact that this little annoyance, as he thought of her, was so close to him was frustrating enough as it was. Never before in his whole life had he met someone like her…someone so stubborn…someone who wasn't afraid of him…someone who wasn't intimidated by him…

Could it be that he had finally met his match?

"Snap out of it! This is crazy! What are you thinking? That girl is nothing but annoying. But is why is she rattling my cage like she is? What exactly does she think she'll gain from it?"

School finally came out, and Chrono made for the door as fast as he could. The sooner he got out of here, the better. Soon he took the turnoff that lead to his house. He thought he was home free. But as he took a corner, he nearly bumped into someone and almost fell down. He looked up straight into a pair of angry looking sapphire blue eyes…very familiar blue eyes. "Oh no, don't tell me its..."

It was her. She had been waiting for him to come around the corner. Behind her stood her brother along with Asmaria. "Not YOU again!", Chrono said.

"Yeah, it's me again. You were expecting maybe the Easter bunny?", Rosette answered sarcastically.

"What is your problem?", Chrono asked her, feeling the anger from earlier starting to rise again.

"What's my problem? You are, pal! You are absolutely the most rude and ill mannered person I have ever met! What is so wrong with showing me around the school?"

Chrono was quick to come up with an answer. "Excuse me, but if I remember it right, you weren't exactly thrilled with the idea either. I was just doing you a favour."

"A favour? You call ignoring me doing me a favour? I don't think so! You still owe me and Joshua an apology for the way you treated us the other day. We're still waiting for it."

"I don't owe you or you're little pipsqueak brother anything. You're not getting a single thing out of me. Now, I'm only gonna say this once. Get out of my way and leave me alone before someone gets hurt."

"Why should I be scared of you? Why should any of us be scared of you? Isn't that right, Joshua?"

"Sis, don't." Joshua was obviously nervous about the situation.

"Rosette, please, let's just leave. Now's not the time or the place", Asmaria pleaded with Rosette.

"Hey, who's side are you on?"

A smile formed on Chrono's face. "Looks like your "troops" don't share your views, "General." They've got the right idea. Maybe you should join them, and "retreat" while you still can."

Rosette was annoyed even more by his smug attitude. "Okay, that's it. I've tried being reasonable with you, now I'm gonna get tough! Here's how it's gonna work: If you don't apologize to me and Joshua, I'm gonna follow you around until you go crazy! I'm gonna be your shadow until you apologize to me and Joshua. How you like them apples?"

Maybe he shouldn't have, but Chrono couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Nice try, but that's has to be the lamest threat I've ever heard. Now go home or something, you're playing with the big boys now and you might just get hurt."

Without further ado, Chrono walked along like he didn't have a care in the world. Joshua and Asmaria had to do their best to hold Rosette back. "LET GO OF ME! I'll strangle the life out of him and do the world a favour in the process! Let me at him!"

"Sis, calm down! He's not worth it!", Joshua responded as he did his best to hold on to his sister's arm. Asmaria was struggling just as hard as she held onto Rosette remaining arm.

"This isn't over yet! Now it's war!", Rosette thought to herself. Without realizing it himself, Chrono was about to learn the hard way just how persistent Rosette could be…

P.S: Okay from here on I am turning to you, the readers, and asking what you think should happen next. I'm a bit stuck for ideas for the moment and any suggestions are welcome. I'm sure you guys can come up with something good. (grins to himself)

Okay, I know, what kind of an author am I if I ask you guys for ideas? That's supposed to be my department. Just bail me out this one time please? By the way, thanks to all of you who have made suggestions, you've helped a lot already. Okay enough pathetic begging I'll see ya all next time.


	5. The Girl Next Door Part 5

Author's note: I know, I know, you all want to kill me for making you wait so long, right? But think of it this way: if you kill me now, who's going to finish this fic? See, you know it makes sense. ; )

Finally made the effort to get off my lazy behind and spent some time on this chapter. The results of those few hours of labour are what you see now: chapter 5, what you've all been waiting for. A HUGE thanks for everyone who've given their input, your ideas have helped more than you realize. Some of those ideas even made it into this chapter. For instance, I've finally decided on a name for the "town". Thanks to Eiashian Lskyia Silver for that one. ; ) So without further ado, I present to you the name of the town…Eden!

Yeah, just for the irony of it all. ; )

Still haven't come up with a last name for Chrono though…

Now some of you may think Chrono is a bit out of character. That was intentional on my part. I was tired of Chrono always being portrayed as this nice guy who's friendly with everyone. I personally like to see some character development, not when a character has a certain personality that they stick with from the start of a story until the end. Not to worry, Chrono will change for the better in this fic, its just going to take some time but it definitely will happen. Rosette's gonna help too.

Just to make a few things clear: the Chrono in this chapter is not the one that looks twelve years old. For the purposes of this fic he is about the average height of a normal 16 year old. Yeah, I was getting tired of his twelve year old look as well. Give him a break; make him look an actual 16 year old for once. By the way, in this fic he and Rosette are the same age, so are Joshua and Azmaria, who are both 15, just to shake things up. ; ) What will my twisted mind come up with next?

Anyways, I've kept you waiting long enough. You asked for it so you received, without any further ado, here is chapter 5, enjoy!

The Girl Next Door

Part 5

It was just another day at Eden High School. Same routine, same procedure as any other normal day. School had just come out, and by now all signs of student life on the school grounds would be hard to find. But maybe if one took a look behind the dumpsters, a very interesting scene would greet them. Our friend Chrono was about to be involved in yet another fight, but to him this_ was_ normal procedure by now…just a part of any other "normal" school day….

"I warn you, I've got a black belt in karate", Chrono's opponent remarked, feeling that his training in the martial arts would give him the edge this time, and smiled as if to reflect his confidence. "_There's no way he can win this time"_

But Chrono had encountered this arrogant punk before. It had been a while back, but Chrono remembered that fight like it was yesterday. Of course, he won but his opponent vowed he would come back and get back at Chrono. Chrono knew where his opponent's weaknesses lay even if he had some training now.

"And I've got a fan belt in street fighting. Can we just get this over with, "Kwai Chong"?", Chrono remarked sarcastically.

"Ha! Insults will get you nowhere. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Chrono's challenger started by showing off all the moves he had learned as if he was trying to impress everyone. This is exactly what Chrono knew he would do. "_Idiot relies too much on impressing everyone. Doesn't even realize he's wide open for attack."_

A fact Chrono exploited to the fullest. While everyone was oo-ing and ah-ing over "Kwai Chong's" moves, Chrono slipped behind the challenger and tapped him on the shoulder. Surprised, the challenger looked behind him. "Hey, aren't you forgetting about someone?", Chrono wanted to know. Before he could even reply, he felt a stinging pain across his cheek, then another one before he fell down to the ground. "OUCH! Damn, that hurts!" Not only were his cheeks hurting but his mouth and nose were bleeding too. He tried to cover up his face with his hands and tried to stop the blood flowing. Chrono towered above him. "Same mistake as last time. You never learn do you? You're supposed to fight in a fight, not show off. That was you're undoing last time. You even forgot one of the rules of fighting: never take your eyes off your opponent. Besides, last time I heard, karate was meant for self-defence. You mean to tell me you're a black belt and you don't even know that? Something tells me you learned martial arts for the wrong reasons."

"SHUT UP!", his challenger shouted. In his anger he charged at Chrono, his supposed martial arts training forgotten. Needless to say, he was soon reduced to lying in the dirt after Chrono was done with him. _"Suckers never learn."_

Chrono picked up his backpack and started walking home; there was no reason for him to stay at the scene of the fight any longer.

Meanwhile, in the house of the Christopher's….

"I can't believe we missed him! How did he slip past us?"

Rosette was addressing her brother, who by now was getting tired of her ranting about a certain violet haired teen. Even though she watched the doors of the school carefully after school came out, she couldn't find Chrono anywhere. If she couldn't find him, she'd never be able to make good on her promise of being his shadow, and she realized this all too well. Of course, she didn't know about the fight that took place behind the dumpsters…

Joshua wanted nothing to do with this but his sister kept dragging him into her business whether he liked it or not, and to be honest he didn't want to face her wrath if he said no. Unfortunately his mouth would get him in trouble with her without him realizing it…

"Get over it, sis. So what if you couldn't find him? We should do what Azmaria said and leave him alone. That promise of yours was dumb anyway. You can't possibly expect to know his whereabouts 24/7."

The next moment he was regretting having ever made remark. A book came flying at him and barely missed his head.

"That", Rosette said, "was a warning shot. Next time I aim to hit."

Joshua, who had taken some cover in case Rosette renewed her assault, replied, "Geez sis, I don't get why he makes you so upset. The way you go on about him would make anybody think you actually like him."

Wrong choice of words. The next moment he was dodging flying objects as if his life depended on it, trying to get out of there as fast as he could. He knew from experience how deadly her aim could be.

"JUST WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, JOSHUA! YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

Joshua wasn't planning on giving her the chance to kill him. He ran as fast as he could through the house and outside. "Going somewhere?", an angry voice said from somewhere behind him.

Joshua froze right there. His forehead broke out into a sweat and he gulped. If the owner of the voice was who he thought it was, then he would be dead in a matter of seconds…

His common sense told him he shouldn't, but against his better judgement he looked behind him. The owner of the voice turned out to be none other than his sister, glaring at him with the look of a psycho killer ready to strike.

"Uh…Hi Sis…how did you get out here so fast?", Joshua asked, voice shaking with fear. He was _so_ dead.

"DON'T "HI SIS" ME! I TOOK A SHORTCUT, OKAY!"

"Now sis, you should calm down. I was just thinking out loud, you know…"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT!"

Joshua thought it would be better to say nothing at this stage and accept his punishment like a man. Nothing he could say or do would get him out of this.

"_Why can't I just learn to keep my big mouth shut?"_

Unless…

Joshua's salvation was to come from a very unexpected avenue…

Chrono was walking along as usual, his MP3 player delivering the sounds of his favourite rock bands to his ears. He wanted to get home and listen to one of his CD's again. But an interesting scene greeted him just as he was about to get to his intended destination. "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT!"

"What's up with this?", Chrono wondered to himself. Across the street he witnessed Rosette, obviously in a bad mood, screaming at her brother.

"Wait, sis, don't be hasty…don't do something you'll regret later…", Joshua pleaded, voice still shaking with fear.

"I DON'T CARE! SAY YOUR PRAYERS!"

The next moment Joshua felt his sister's hands tighten around his neck in a death grip intent on denying him air to breathe.

"LET'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT YOU LITTLE PUNK! I NEVER SAID I LIKED HIM AND EVEN IF I DID I WOULD NEVER TELL YOU! HOW DARE YOU EVEN IMPLY THAT I FEEL SOMETHING FOR HIM! NOW PREPARE TO DIE!", Rosette shouted for all to hear not caring who heard…

She never even knew Chrono was watching the whole scene from across the street…

"Uh…sis…behind you", Joshua tried to warn his sister with the last breath of air he could muster. Before Rosette had gripped his neck he noticed that Chrono was watching them and he tried to warn his sister but she wouldn't hear any of it.

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"

"Now what did the kid do to piss of his sister like that?", Chrono pondered to himself. "Wait a minute…she wasn't talking about me, was she? Nah, can't be. Or could it?"

"Sis, I'm serious…behind you…", Joshua pleaded once again with the last bit of oxygen he could gather.

It was at this point that Chrono stepped in. He was getting tired of hearing Rosette yell all the time. "Hey, why don't you shout louder, the people in the next block can't hear you!"

Rosette finally realized why her brother was trying to tell her to look behind her. The voice she heard could only belong to one person…

She turned around to see Chrono watching them. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!", she demanded from him.

Acting cool and calm, Chrono replied, "Nothing much. I'm not gonna interrupt your brother-sister bonding. By the way if you're gonna kill him then make sure you do a good job. Oh, and when you bury him make sure it's real deep, six feet ought to do the trick and preferably in a place where the cops would never think to look. However, think of it this way: if you kill him now you won't have anyone left to vent your anger on in the future and where's the fun in that?"

As angry as she was, she had to admit it….He was right…

She slowly let go of Joshua, who was only too happy that he could breathe again.

But that didn't mean she had calmed down to any agree. She was still in kill-mode. She was even more furious that Chrono had heard her whole outburst about liking him, or rather her dislike of him, but how was she to know how he would interpret it?

Chrono, acting like he didn't have a care in the world, said "Check ya", and went inside his house.

Needless to say, Rosette was cranky for the rest of the day. Joshua was a bit more cautious about what he said to her, lest he become target practice again….

Joshua, though, couldn't get it out of his mind that what Chrono had said to Rosette actually helped to get him out of his furious sister's grip. The thought was unreal to him, because the other day Chrono was close to beating the hell out of him, and now, indirectly, he saved Joshua from a fate far worse than death. Maybe Chrono wasn't so bad after all…

Normally he'd want to thank the person who saved his life, but even Joshua wasn't that crazy. Chrono might just change his mind, and Joshua loved his life too much to attempt thanking Chrono. Besides, one near death experience was more than enough for one day…

"Ah, I can always count on you, Fred," Chrono muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes. He was lying in bed after having woken up to the lead singer of _Limp Bizkit _singing _Breakstuff _, his morning wake up call. His usual routine followed, and soon he was walking to school. By now he knew the Christopher siblings were always near late for school, so it would be unlikely he would run into _her_. Her outburst was still on his mind, though. He just couldn't figure her out.

Of course, even though he wouldn't run into her before school, it would be a different story during school…but that could wait till later, he thought.

His day was to take a strange turn, however….a turn not even he had foreseen…

"Please, take a seat, and then we can talk."

Chrono was in the one place he had never been before in the few years he had been in high school: the principal's office. Mrs. Kate Valentine, the principal of Eden High, had Chrono called to her office earlier that day to talk to him, he couldn't think about what though. As far as he knew none of the teachers ever had a problem with him.

Mrs. Kate broke the silence first. "Chrono, there's something I have to discuss with you. Now I know you're a good student and so far you're record has been near spotless, but some of the students have…how shall I say…been complaining about your behaviour. It seems you have been involved in a series of fights as of late. Is this true?"

Chrono wasn't expecting this at all. Who would have complained about him? He decided it would be better to tell the truth.

"Yes, ma'am."

"You know how we feel about fighting at this school, Chrono."

"Ma'am, would you be believe me if I told you it was just self-defence?"

"That's why I called you in, to hear your side of the story. I want to hear both sides of the argument, so to speak."

Chrono was feeling a little more relaxed. Maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad. If he played his cards right, he could make her see his side of the story…

"It's like this ma'am: I never started those fights. I never look for trouble on my own. I don't fight just for the sake of fighting."

"Are you saying you were provoked?"

"Exactly, ma'am. They provoked me first. I know these guys, they don't stop until you shut them up and the only way to do that is to fight them. It's the only way to make them stop and it also ensures that they'll never bother you again. So you see, I had no other choice."

"Perhaps. But that's not the only way to handle the situation. If they were bothering you, you should have come to me instead."

"Yes, ma'am."

"So how many fights have you been involved in so far?"

How many fights? That was going to be a tough one. Chrono simply couldn't remember. He had lost count long ago…

"I can't say for sure. If I can be honest ma'am, I really think some of those guys deserved it. Not only were they giving me a hard time, they were also picking on other students. If there's one thing I can't stand it's a bully."

"That still doesn't give you the right to resort to violence. Like I said earlier, there are other ways to handle the situation."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hmm.."

Mrs. Kate looked like she was thinking about something deeply. Finally, she spoke.

"If you were any other student, I'd book you a whole week's worth of detention right here and now. But, seeing as you don't have any previous offences, I'll let you off this time. Just don't let it happen again."

Chrono was relieved. This went easier than he thought it would.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Before you go, there's one last thing I want to discuss with you. It concerns my niece."

"I'm not sure I follow. Who's your niece, ma'am?", Chrono asked, slightly puzzled.

"A new student. I believe she's in your class, sitting next to you in fact. Her name is Rosette Christopher."

Words could not describe what Chrono felt at that moment." _Why is it that every where I turn I meet members of her family? It's like a curse!"_

"I hear you encountered each other earlier, and it ended up with her being quite mad."

"We…don't get along that well, ma'am."

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you could be nicer to her. She's new here, remember."

"I'll…try, ma'am."

"Good. Now get going, it's almost time to go home."

"Okay. Thanks, ma'am", he said as he bolted out of Mrs. Kate's office.

Usually Chrono was not that easily surprised, but there's a first time for everything. "Great, why oh why, did her aunt have to be the school principal?"

If ever he felt before that the whole universe was against him, today confirmed it for him. It was as if fate was trying its damndest to make his life even more complicated. "This can't be happening! Ever since _she_ showed up, my life has been nothing but one complication after the other! Well, this isn't gonna get me! I'll beat this thing!"

He just wasn't sure how he would beat it yet….

But now he had other issues on his mind. "Who would've gone and told Mrs. Kate about the fights I've been in? All the guys I've beaten up would never run to Mrs. Kate, it just isn't they're style. Still…"

He realized he'd never find the answers to these questions by himself. What he needed was inside info, and he knew exactly where to get it…

After school came out, Chrono headed over to the dumpsters, not to fight but to go talk to someone who might just be able to give him those answers. The source of information he was looking for usually hung out at the school for a while after it came out…

"Ah, Chrono, what can I do you for?", a skinny guy with black hair dressed in a trench coat asked our friend in a fake American-Italian tough guy accent. His name was Tony Anderson. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be him. Tony liked to think of himself as a "trafficker of information." Any secret worth knowing about anyone in the school, teacher or student, always ended up with him. He made it his business to know everyone else's business. Of course, that information was never for free…

"Cut the fake accent, Tony. You've been watching the Godfather trilogy again, haven't you?"

"What can I say? Martin Scorsese is a brilliant director. Me being half Italian doesn't hurt either."

One thing about Tony, he loved gangster movies, especially the ones about the mob. When he did business, he did it like a Mafia mobster. Hence the fake accent…

"Whatever. Look, I need some info."

"What kind of info? I got plenty."

"I want to know who went and told Mrs. Kate about the fights I've been in lately."

"Hmm…you know…my memory is a little, how should I put it, "fuzzy" at the moment. Maybe a little payment would help to refresh it, if you get my meaning…"

Chrono was not in the mood for this. He wanted that information and he wanted it now. "How about I don't kick your sorry ass? Is that payment enough?"

Tony could see he had picked the wrong choice of words. He could tell Chrono was serious. But, business was business…

"Look, if I tell you I'm a dead man. They made me promise not to tell you…"

The next moment Chrono grabbed Tony by the collar of his trench goat and pressed him against the wall. "You're a dead man anyway if you don't talk, it just depends on who gets you first, me or whoever made you promise not to tell me! Now sing like a canary, pal!", Chrono said, using some of the Mafia lingo he knew.

Another thing about Tony, he had a very low threshold for pain. In fact, he once commented that he was allergic to it…

"Okay, okay, I'll talk! Just please don't hurt me!"

"That depends on whether you tell me what I want to hear."

"Look, word on the streets is that some of the guys you've sent packin' before are teamin' up against you. Ever since you beat them up, the only thing on their minds is how to get back at you. As we speak their probably plottin' how to get you in trouble. Going to Mrs. Kate was just the beginning. Who knows what else their going throw at you in the future."

"Let me guess: they knew you would find out so they told you to keep your big yap shut in case I came around asking you about it, right?"

"That's about what happened, yeah. In fact, that one guy, I think Brian was his name, was with them when they came around."

"Brian? You mean Brian Higgins?"

"Now I remember! Yeah, that was the guy's name. I heard him say ever since you humiliated him so badly, no one has any more respect for him, even his girl dumped him. Even the other students aren't that afraid of him after what happened. He said he can't have that anymore, and the only way to "fix" things is to humiliate you in front of everyone."

Chrono took a moment to take it all in, then he let go of Tony. "See, it wasn't that hard, was it? Thanks for the info."

"Anytime", Tony said, voice shaking with fear, only too glad that it was over. Chrono started walking, his destination being his house. Tony waited until Chrono disappeared from his sight, then he sighed a huge sigh of relief. It dawned on Tony that maybe, just maybe, the mobster's life wasn't for him. "I seriously gotta consider a new occupation. This one is too hazardous for my health. And when those guys find out I ratted on them…oh man…"

Chrono's mind was occupied with what Tony had told him. If what he said was true, Chrono would have to watch his back from now on. If these guys were so determined to humiliate him, there was no telling what they would do or how they would do it.

Today hadn't turned out to be one of his better one's. First he had to hear that none other than the school principal was related to Rosette. To top it all of, at least a dozen high school students were obsessed with getting revenge on him. "I feel so special", he remarked sarcastically to himself…

The next few weeks would be very interesting indeed…


	6. The Girl Next Door Part 6

Author's note: The Hawk has returned everyone. I hope you all missed me, 'cause I'm back with a brand new chapter for The Girl Next Door. ; )

This time, you can all look forward to a significantly lengthened chapter. It's more than twice the length I usually make a chapter, near to thirty pages this time, not including the author's notes. My other chapters before were at the most ten pages long, author's notes included. I just had so much I wanted to do with this chapter that before I knew it, I found myself going over 20 pages so I thought, "Ah, what the hell, I might as well go on", and I have to admit, I enjoyed it. I'm seriously considering making all future chapters this long, if you guys want it like that.

One of the contributing factors to the length of the chapter is that I included the lyrics to a few songs. Rosette's going to be finding out exactly what kind of music Chrono listens to, and is she ever gonna be surprised… ; )

I only changed a few things to the original lyrics, like punctuation and such and changed a few things here and there where I wanted emphasis on the words, but the essence of the lyrics remain the same, so don't be surprised to find a "dirty" word or two in there…

Just for old times sake: No, I don't own either Chrono Crusade or any of the brands, trademarks, etc mentioned in this fic.

So now that I've hopefully prepared you enough for what's coming, step inside and enter the world of….

The Girl Next Door

Part 6

"_Why are you doing this? Are you crazy!", Chrono asked a white-haired figure standing a few feet away from him. Searing flames surrounded him and the other person. The old building they were in had caught fire and was in danger of collapsing._

"_Ah, Chrono, you never did get the bigger picture, did you? It was just business, that's all it ever was", the mysterious figure answered back, smirking as he did._

"_Is destroying innocent people's lives what you call business? What kind of a sick monster are you!"_

"_Monster? No, merely a man who saw an opportunity and made use of it. It's a shame you couldn't see the benefits of my little deal. Viede and Genai did."_

_As soon as Chrono heard those two names, his eyes shot wide open with shock, his mind going numb for a few seconds. _

"_No! How…how could they? I thought….they were my friends…they… THEY BETRAYED ME!"_

"_You always had a fatal flaw, Chrono: you trust too easily. What, did you really think those two were going to help you to stop me? They were in it with me all this time! They realized there is no room for a conscience when it comes to a lucrative deal like the one I had going", the mysterious figure said as he amusedly watched Chrono struggling with the thought that the two people he thought he could trust so cruelly and easily betrayed him._

"_SHUT THE HELL UP!", Chrono shouted. "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"_

"_Or what?"_

"_OR THIS!"_

_Chrono came charging at the mysterious figure with a ferocity that surprised even him. Just as the two were about to fight it out proper amongst the flames, two other figures appeared on the scene. "Hey boss, this place is falling apart; you gotta get out of here now!"_

"_Besides that, the cops and the fire department are heading straight for us!"_

"_Okay, I'll be out in a minute. Just let me take care of our young friend here."_

"_There's no time for that boss, we have to leave now!"_

"_Fine then."_

"_Hey, where do you think your going?", an angry Chrono demanded._

"_It's not where I'm going; it's where you're going."_

"_Huh…?"_

"_Goodbye, Chrono. I can't say it hasn't been fun."_

_BANG!_

The gunshot violently woke Chrono from the dream he was having. The next thing he knew he was breathing and sweating heavily in his bed. "That felt a bit _too_ real," he said while checking what the time was. "Two in the morning? No way."

Yet his digital alarm clock showed him that it was indeed two in the morning. There was no mistake about it. Just out of curiosity, he rolled up the left sleeve of the t-shirt he was wearing and looked at the old wound on his shoulder. "Lucky for me his aim was lousy. A few inches lower and…"

Chrono rather didn't want to think about it. The bullet had instead penetrated his shoulder and made a clean exit wound, severing flesh and tendon as it passed through. Fortunately, it didn't injure any important nerves. Still, Chrono had to walk around with his arm in a cast for two weeks. Strangely, when he heard the gunshot in his dream, he could've sworn that…his old wound was actually hurting again if only for a brief moment.

It made Chrono wonder about his own state of mind. "It's been two years since that night. But why…is it still haunting me? Why am I still thinking about it?"

Somehow Chrono couldn't shake the feeling that elements from his past were going to come back to haunt him even more, and not just in his dreams…

_That same morning…_

Chrono was just about to leave for school when the phone in the hallway rang. Aunt Kathy picked up the phone before Chrono could since she was the closest. "Chrono, it's for you."

He frowned for a moment, wondering who'd be phoning him all of a sudden. He wasn't exactly Mr. Popularity. But he took the receiver from his aunt's hand nonetheless.

"Hello?"

"How's it hanging, kiddo?", a cheerful feminine voice on the other end asked.

This was one of the few times Chrono actually smiled out of sincerity. He knew exactly who the person on the other end was, someone from his past who had been one of his few true friends.

"A bit shriveled and to the left, Shader", Chrono replied with a mischievous grin.

"Yuck!"

"Oh come on, Shader, it was just a joke. Seriously, I'm doing fine. How about you?"

"I'm just great. Campus life is being good to me."

"You always loved school more than anybody else I ever knew. Remember that t-shirt you had that said "Me + plus math love?"

"Remember it? I still have it!"

Both of them laughed out loud. Even after all these years, their friendship hadn't faded a bit.

"By the way Shader, how did you get my number?"

"I have my ways of finding out. But, there is something I have to tell you. Something important."

Chrono could detect by the tone of her voice in that last sentence that whatever it was she wanted to tell him, he was going to end up not liking it.

"Yeah?"

"They'll be coming out soon. I think you know who I'm talking about."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Genai should be coming out first, then Viede. There's a good chance they'll try to contact each other again. You know what that means, right?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what that means."

"Just be careful, ok."

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. You've seen me do that plenty of times."

"I know. But there is something else I want to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"How are you _really_ doing? Come on, the truth now."

Chrono never could lie to her, even if he tried. Somehow she always saw right through him.

"You still haven't moved on, have you Chrono?"

"No…I haven't Shader."

"Geez kiddo, what did I tell you about being stuck in the past? Don't tell me you've forgotten already?"

"Hey, you can stop calling me kiddo."

"Only when you stop acting like a kid. Come on, it's been what, two years already. How much longer are you going to carry it around with you? What's done is done."

"Shader…look, it's better for me to be alone. And yeah, I haven't even tried to make any friends the last two years. I'm not gonna set myself up for what happened last time, not again."

That wasn't strictly true. Chrono had a friend in the form of Gus. He just didn't mention Gus to Shader.

"Geez Louise, are you even hearing a word I'm saying? Not everyone is like Genai and Viede. You're missing out on so much just because you choose to cut yourself off from the rest of the world. Life isn't gonna wait for you to get over yourself, it goes on and before you know it you'll wonder where it all went but by then it'll be too late."

"…"

"Please Chrono, just try to open up a little to other people. Don't do it for me, but for your own sake. I think you'll find that not everyone is a backstabber or a liar."

"I can't promise anything, Shader."

"Please, just try."

"Okay. Look I'm kinda gonna be late for school, you know."

"It was nice talking to you again Chrono."

"Yeah, you too. Bye Shader."

"Bye kiddo."

"Hey what did I tell you about calling me-"

Too late. She'd hung up already.

As Chrono walked to school, his mind drifted to thoughts of Shader, who to him was like the older and wiser sister he never had, the one who stood up for him when no one else would and who accepted him for who he was.

Right now she was on the other side of the country in California, studying at a university. The way he remembered her, she was one of he smartest people he had ever met. But despite that, she was everyone's friend. She would befriend anyone, regardless of looks, age or race.

Unfortunately, there were those who labeled her a "freak" amongst other things just because she was different from everyone else, and people don't always like "different."

Chrono had suffered the same kind of torment merely because he looked different. He soon realized having long violet hair and near blood red eyes made him stand out from the crowd far too easily.

It was actually because of that, that Chrono and Shader met each other one fateful day after school…

_XXXX Flashback XXXX_

_New York, two years ago, at Magdalan High School…_

_It was just one of those days. It had been the umpteenth time that week Chrono had suffered a beat down from the bullies in his school. He was lying with his face in the dirt, his clothes torn and blood stained. "Why do I even bother getting up? It's not like it'll make a difference."_

_The pattern had been the same for the last few months: go to school, get beat up, go back home, repeat. All that was left now was to go home, make up a story to explain why he was all dirty with his own blood so his mother wouldn't overreact like she always did, then go back to school the next day to repeat the vicious cycle once again. _

_For a moment Chrono wondered if he shouldn't just stay where he was and see if anyone would actually care enough to notice he was lying there. The way he felt, nobody cared. Everyone hated him, and for what? Just because he looked different? _

"_It can't possibly get any worse than it already is."_

"_What can't get any worse?"_

_It turned out when Chrono thought he was all alone, he was mistaken. When he looked up he saw a girl, a girl with the biggest pair of glasses he had ever seen and dark brown hair, looking at him. Chrono just stared at her, wondering what she wanted with him. No one else ever paid attention to him as it was. _

"_Are you just going to lie there eating dirt all day? Or are you planning to actually get up?"_

"_What's it to you?"_

"_Just wondering, that's all."_

"_Look, if you're gonna make fun of me, then get it over with already."_

"_Huh? Why would I do that?"_

"_Everyone else does."_

"_But I'm not "everyone". Here, give me your hand so I can help you up. You can't keep lying there."_

_Chrono didn't have the strength to argue with her so he timidly held his hand up for her to pull him up. After he was back on his feet, the girl looked him up and down. _

"_They got you really good, didn't they?"_

"_Yeah, thanks for making me feel a lot better, I feel like a million bucks right now", Chrono responded, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Who is this weird girl, Chrono wondered._

"_Oops, sorry about that. My bad. By the way, my name is Shader. What's yours?"_

_It was Chrono's turn to check her out. She was taller than him, so he thought she had to be at least a few years older than he was. Being the short one was never easy for him, it made it so much easier for people to make fun of him._

"_The name's Chrono."_

"_Chrono? Hey, not bad. I think it suits you. By the way, I'm not gonna bite so don't be scared to look me in the eye when you talk to me."_

"_Whatever."_

"_Here, take this."_

_She took what looked like a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it to Chrono. _

"_What's this for?"_

"_For your face, silly. It's all dirty. I thought you might want to clean yourself up a bit."_

_Chrono was dumbstruck by this gesture of kindness. Why was she being so nice to him? No one in school had ever been this nice to him, not once._

"_Uh…thanks. But…why are you doing this?"_

_She looked at him in surprise. "Why am I doing this? Well, because I want to. What, do I need a reason to help someone?"_

"_No, but…"_

"_Okay, let me ask you something: what did you do to make those guys gang up on you?"_

"_You saw the whole thing?"_

"_Yup, everything. I just happened to be passing by when I saw what they did to you. Unfortunately, when I got here it was practically over already, so there wasn't anything I could've done to stop them. Believe me, if I had gotten here sooner I would've. So, why did they jump you like that?"_

"_Because…because…"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Because they all think I'm a freak, that's why!" _

"_What? You, a freak? Nah, you look pretty normal to me."_

"_Try telling that to them and see if they'll believe you. Everyday it's the same routine over and over, they just won't quit. I'm so sick and tired of this!"_

_Shader looked off into the distance, then she fixed her gaze on Chrono again. "Yeah, it all sounds familiar, alright."_

"_Huh? What are you talking about?"_

"_I've been through exactly what you've been through. In fact, I'm still going through it. Don't think your problem is unique."_

"_What, they call you a freak too?"_

_Shader's lips formed a smile. "Amongst other things. "Four-eyed freak" is also a favorite at the moment. I've heard it all. You get used to it after a while."_

_Why is she even smiling? Chrono wondered. What's so great about picked on the whole time? Why is she being so positive about this?_

"_Why did I have to be born with violet hair and red eyes? Who else has violet hair and red eyes? That's why they all think I'm a freak. Why me? Why me?"_

"_You know, feeling sorry for yourself isn't gonna solve anything. Besides, you can't change your hair or eye color, so you just have to live with it. The sooner you accept it as a unique part of yourself, the better. Besides, you know what I think? I think they're the freaks, not us."_

"_HUH?" _

_Chrono was once again dumbstruck. What did she mean, they were the freaks?_

"_Consider this: They all try and look the same, wear the same clothes, listen to the same music, all in an effort to fit in with the rest of the crowd. But along the way, they lose their individualism. Their not their true selves anymore. They all try to fit in with someone else's idea of who they should be, not who they want to be. But the moment someone different from them comes along, they can't handle it and make fun of you just because you don't fit in with their idea of what's "normal". They don't even make the effort to get to know you before they start labeling you with all kinds of unflattering names."_

"_But…how does that…make them the freaks?"_

"_Just this: Everyone has a different idea of what "normal" is. What's normal to one person might not necessarily be normal to another person. They're all so busy trying to be the same that they become false in the process. But with people like you and me, what you see is what you get. When it comes to them, you're not meeting the real them, you're meeting their representative. You keeping up so far?"_

"_Yeah…I think so."_

"_Good. Now, it just amazes me that they have the nerve to call people like us freaks when they act the way they do. They've become so fixated on being like each other that they've lost themselves along the way. We haven't. We're still true to ourselves, unlike them. In fact, I dare say we're more normal than they are. You see what I'm getting at here?"_

"_I think so."_

"_The way I see it, they're the freaks, not us. Sometimes, I watch them all act so cool in front of each other, and then I end up laughing at all them. What's the point if you can't be yourself? So you see, at the end of the day it all comes down to being yourself and being comfortable with who you are, and screw what anyone else thinks. You were right, who else has eyes and hair like yours? As far as I know, no one else does. That makes you unique; you have something no one else has. You should treasure it and appreciate it. Look at me, I have this humongous pair of glasses and an IQ close to that of a genius but you don't hear me complaining."_

"_Really?_

"_If you mean about the IQ, I was just kidding. That's just what people say I am sometimes, a genius. But that's just the ones who don't make fun of me anyway. But what I'm trying to say is don't listen to them. They don't even know you, so how can they even judge you?"_

_Chrono's face lit up for the first time that day. What she was saying, weirdly enough, actually made sense to him._

"_Yeah…yeah! You know what, you are absolutely right!"_

_Shader, in turn, smiled at Chrono. "Just like they say birds of a feather stick together, I say us "freaks" should stick together too, you know what I mean?"_

"_Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."_

"_Come on, I'll walk you home."_

"_I'd like that, thanks."_

_It was from that day on that Chrono and Shader became friends. For the first time, Chrono had someone to talk to, someone who understood, someone who had been there before and knew exactly what he was going through, and most importantly, she didn't judge him like the others did. She actually made the effort to get to know him. Many people made the wrong assumption and went so far as to call them a couple. The truth is that they were only platonic friends. Neither of them wanted anything more than that. Besides, she was two years older than he was. Subconsciously, they both knew it would never work out if it did go that far, even though it never did._

_To Chrono, she was an older and wiser friend who taught him many important things about life along the way, a shoulder to cry on when things got too much. _

_Sadly, it did nothing to stop the bullies constantly harassing Chrono. One day, it all became too much for him. But that day was different. It was the day, as Chrono would say, when the dam broke, when the animal was let out of the cage, when the beast was unleashed…_

_A part of Chrono that even he didn't know was there came out, a part that scared him and Shader alike…_

_Despite that, they still stayed friends, even up to the present day…_

_XXX End Flashback XXX_

A smile formed on Chrono's face as he thought back to those times. "_Those were the good old days."_

However, Chrono had to come back to reality. He had reached his school and so he headed for his locker to get ready for the first class of the day. He actually felt good about today. Reminiscing about the old days with Shader helped to put him in the good mood he was, which for Chrono was a very rare occurrence at best.

Good moods don't last forever though, especially not when a certain blonde youth is on your case…

"Yo."

Any good intentions Chrono might have had went flying out the window when he heard the voice behind him. Somehow, he just knew who it was. Who else had the guts to walk up to him like that?

His suspicions were confirmed when he turned around to identify the owner of the voice.

It was _her_.

"_Oh great, just great."_

"What do you want?"

"Well good morning to you too Mr. Sunshine", Rosette answered matching his straightforward manner with her own brand of sarcasm, "but in case you haven't noticed our lockers are next to each other. Where else am I supposed to put my stuff?"

"Whatever."

Something struck Chrono as being funny with this particular picture. For one, why was she so early for school all of a sudden? He checked his wristwatch just to be sure; nope, usually she wasn't here at this time already. He always got here before she did. On any other day they wouldn't even be meeting like this.

"_Something is definitely fishy around here, and I don't mean the cafeteria food_."

He wasn't going to ask her outright either. Whatever her reasons, he didn't want to get involved.

For the moment they occasionally exchanged glances from behind their locker doors as they got the books and other items they needed for the next class. Just as Chrono locked the door to his locker, Rosette broke the silence.

"By the way, I hope you haven't forgotten the promise I made the other day, 'cause I plan on making good on it."

Chrono frowned a bit. "What promise?"

Rosette shook her head in response. "Forgotten already, I see. Typical. Then here's a new promise: you're not gonna forget after today."

"What are you talking about?"

"You may have forgotten but I haven't, so let me refresh your memory a bit. You still owe me and Joshua an apology for the way you treated me and him on that day we first met. I'm gonna stick to you like a tick until you finally find it within yourself to say those two magic little words, "I'm sorry." Just say that, and I'll be off your back."

"_So this is what it's all about. I just knew there was more to this than meets the eye_. _It all makes sense now._ "

"As if."

"Fine, buddy. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Chrono just brushed off what she said and though nothing of it. He was under the impression as soon as she got bored she would leave him alone. Besides, how bad could it be to have her hanging around him until that time? He had endured worse things than this, or so he thought…

_Later that day, at recess…_

Normally Chrono would be eating his lunch all by himself with no one to bother him. Today was the exception to the rule. Rosette, true to her word, became like his shadow and followed him to the bench he was sitting on. No one else would ever have attempted it, if they wished to leave for home later in the same condition they came to school in.

A safe distance away, Joshua and Azmaria were observing the pair.

"I will say this; your sister has guts, Joshua."

"More guts than she should be legally allowed to have. She can be so reckless sometimes."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Chrono won't do anything to her. He'd never go that far."

But Joshua wasn't convinced. Chrono scared him, and what scared him even more was that his fearless sister was so set on pulling off this crazy stunt. She had done crazy things before, but never anything like this. To Joshua, this was unfamiliar territory.

Meanwhile, at Chrono's bench, nothing much had changed. Like before, the two exchanged glances now and then but other than that, nothing. Chrono had his MP3 player with him, and was too busy enjoying himself listening to his music to care about Rosette next to him.

"Is this how he spends every recess?", Rosette wondered. "Doesn't he ever anything do anything else besides listen to his music? Besides, what is he listening to that could possibly be so enjoyable that he doesn't even notice anything else?"

Her chance to find out would come sooner than expected…

All of a sudden Chrono got up and took the earphones off his ears, and started to walk away. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"To the one place even you can't follow me to: the boy's bathroom. What, do I need your expressed permission or something?", Chrono responded, sarcastic as always.

"Just don't think you can get away from me. If you're not back within ten minutes at the latest, I'm coming to get you whether you're still in there or not."

"Whatever."

As soon as Chrono disappeared from sight, Joshua dared to come closer so he could try to talk some sense into his sister.

"Oh hi, Joshua. What's up?"

"Sis, come on, now's your chance. Let's get out of here before he gets back."

"Now why would I do that?"

"For crying out loud, you don't when he might just go off and hurt you or something equally as painful. We don't know this guy or what he might do. Please, I know you usually ignore my good advice, but just listen to me this one time."

"Sorry Joshua but this is something I have to do. I told you already, you're not convincing me otherwise. Hey, what's this?"

Rosette's eyes traveled downward and saw that Chrono had left his MP3 player behind.

"Uh, sis why are you smiling like that?"

Joshua knew when his sister smiled for some unexplained reason she was hatching a plan in her overactive brain, a plan which was bound to lead to trouble with a capital "T"…

"Oh don't worry, just something I want to check out", she said while she picked up the MP3 player. On the one side was writing that said, "Property of Chrono. Touch this and you die."

Joshua's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw her inspecting the aforementioned device. "SIS, ARE YOU INSANE! LEAVE THAT ALONE, HE'LL KILL YOU IF HE SEES YOU MESSING WITH IT!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about myself. He had enough of an opportunity to throw a punch at me the other day but he never did, so I'm safe. He might not think the same way about you when he sees you here with me, catch my drift?"

Joshua let out a very audible gulp. The thought of Chrono pummeling him into submission was not a very pleasant one at all. "All the more reason for us to get away while we can, sis. Please, I'm begging you. What else am I supposed to do, go down on my knees?"

"It's a start", Rosette joked.

Joshua was at the point of giving up. Then again, he should've known that no amount of begging is going make her change her mind. He started walking away when Rosette said, "Hey, where do you think you're going? Come on, you gotta help me figure this thing out."

"Uh, actually it's not that hard. Those buttons on the side usually operates everything."

"Yeah, but I don't know which button does what."

"Okay, sis, look closely. This button should be "play" and this one should be "stop", Joshua instructed his sister. "And this round thing sticking out here should be the volume control. Just turn it up to increase the sound volume or turn it down to do the opposite. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, you chicken, you can go. I'm sure your girlfriend is missing you too."

"SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! Azmaria and I are just good friends, that's all. And I'm not a chicken, I'm just careful."

"Yeah, yeah. Now get going before Chrono gets back."

Joshua didn't need to be told twice. He was gone soon enough.

Rosette slowly brought the earphones to her ears. "Okay, let's just see what's so great about this music. Okay, this should be the "play" button. Here goes nothing."

She turned the volume down just to be on the safe side….

Before she pressed the play button, she looked on the small LCD screen to find out what the current song's name is. "_Bodies_ by _Drowning Pool_? Never even heard of them. Oh well."

The earphones came to life as the song started.

_Let the bodies hit the floor_

_Let the bodies hit the floor _

_Let the bodies hit the floor_

_Let the bodies hit the_…

"What's this guy talking about?"

"_FLOOOORRRRR!"_

The next moment her ears felt like it was being assaulted by an army of electric guitars. She fought the urge to scream out loud from the pain she was feeling in her ears. Turning down the volume hadn't helped a bit, but she still frantically reached for the volume control and turned it down even further.

_Beaten, what for?_

_Can't take much more_

_One _

_Nothing wrong with me_

_Two _

_Nothing wrong with me _

_Three _

_Nothing wrong with me_

_Four _

_Nothing wrong with me_

_One _

_Something's got to give_

_Two _

_Something's got to give_

_Three _

_Something's got to give…_

_NOOOOOOWWW!_

_Let the bodies hit the floor _

_Let the bodies hit the floor_

_Let the bodies hit the floor... _

_Let the bodies hit the floor _

_Let the bodies hit the floor _

_Let the bodies hit the floor..._

"He actually likes this? Okay, I've heard enough. On to the next song. They can't possibly be all like this one."

The next song wasn't much better. "_Push It_ by _Static X_? Where does he get this stuff? Better check it out."

When the next song started, it was like an assault of guitars again, and someone with a voice that sounded like something from beyond the grave was singing:

_Corrosive tainted by my sin  
I'm spilling blood and I can hardly contain it  
corrosive hallowing the hand  
stiffened I eat away  
Eat, eat into the surface  
_

_  
Yeah, you push it  
Yeah, you push it  
Yeah, you push it  
You, you push it  
You, you push it  
You, you push it  
_

_  
Explosive more violent more violent  
all consuming throbbing straight to the circle  
Explosive move on reaction  
I slow it down I slow it  
down, down, down, down, down_

_Yeah, you push it  
Yeah, you push it  
Yeah, you push it  
You, you push it  
You, you push it  
You, you push it  
_

"Oh come on, not again. Next song. Huh? _Burning Inside_ by _Static X_ featuring _Fear Factory_? Might as well hear it.

_Will these dreams still follow me_

_Out of dark obscurity?_

_Can't you see it up in the sky_

_As it kicks you in the face and lets you die_

_You never had the answers_

_And now you tell me the facts of life_

_I really couldn't be bothered with you_

_Get out of my face and watch me die_

_Burning inside! Burning inside!_

_Absolution and a frozen room_

_Are the dreams of men below_

_I try to grab it but the touch is hot_

_The mirror collapses, but the image came not_

_I'm scared of the darkness in the light_

_I scare myself because I know I'm right_

_I see the evil in your savage eye_

_As it cuts right through the sky_

_Burning inside! Burning inside!_

_Calling a mantra with a blade in the skin_

_For the demons within_

_I feel the pain is the death and decay_

_But the lesson never fades away_

_Two little shadows, turning away_

_You saw the man through the window pane_

_Another slave and a victim of fate_

_Another lesson in hate_

_Burning inside! Burning inside!_

"What is it with him? Why does he like this stuff so much? Next song. There has to be at least one in here that isn't about violence and death."

That turned out to be wishful thinking…

"_Fear _by _Disturbed_? Here goes."

_Reject_

_Are you no one_

_Feel you nothing_

_You know I'll bet you think_

_You have a good reason to be living_

_In the limelight of the fortunate ones_

_You're too weakened by the poison_

_That they feed you in the living lie_

_They don't believe you _

_Care to no one_

_Trust in nothing_

_Little impotent one_

_I don't want to be _

_I don't want to be _

_I don't want to be _

_I don't want to be innocent, you know_

_I don't want to be _

_I don't want to be _

_I don't want to be _

_I don't want to let them hypnotize me_

_Punk ass, are you listening_

_Can you hear me or are you deaf and dumb to my language_

_Do the real words seem to hurt you?_

_Well put 'em up motherfucker_

_Gonna feel it_

_When I stamp it on your forehead_

_So you will never forget _

_That you're a reject_

_And you're a no one_

_And you're nothing_

_Little impotent one_

_I don't wanna be_

_I don't wanna be _

_I don't wanna be_

_I don't wanna be innocent you know?_

_I don't wanna be_

_I don't wanna be_

_I don't wanna be_

_I don't want to let them hypnotize me_

And the next song wasn't any better…

"_Disturbed_ again? He seems to love these guys. Let's see, the song's name is…_Violence Fetish_? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

_Bring the violence_

_It's significant_

_To the life_

_If you've ever known anyone_

_Bring the violence_

_It's significant_

_To the life_

_Can you feel it?_

_Oh ow, ow!_

_How do you sleep_

_When you live with your lies_

_Out of your mouth_

_Up from your mind_

_That kind of thinking_

_Starts a chain reaction_

_You are a time bomb ticking away_

_You need to release_

_What you're feeling inside_

_Let out the beast_

_That you're trying to hide_

_Step right up and be a part of the action_

_Get your game face on_

_Because it's time to play_

_You're pushing and fighting your way_

_You're ripping it up_

_Bring the violence_

_It's significant_

_To the life_

_If you've ever known anyone_

_Bring the violence_

_It's significant_

_To the life_

_Can you feel it?_

_Oh ow, ow! _

_How do you live without playing the game?_

_Sit on the side and expect to keep sane_

_Step right up and be a part of the action_

_Come get a piece of it before it's too late_

_Take a look around_

_You can't deny what you see_

_Were living in a violent society_

_Well my brother let me show you a better way_

_So get your game face on because it's time to play_

_You're pushing and fighting your, way you're ripping it up_

"Next song please. _Down With The Sickness_ by _Disturbed_ again? Oh boy."

_Drowning deep in my sea of loathing_

_Broken your servant I kneel_

_Will you give in to me?_

_It seems what's left of my human side_

_Is slowly changing... in me_

_Will you give in to me?_

_Looking at my own reflection,_

_When suddenly it changes,_

_Violently it changes!_

_OH! No, there is no turning back now_

_You've woken up the demon... in me!_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness!_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness!_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness!_

_Open up your hate, and let it flow into me!_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness!_

_You mother get up_

_Come on get down with the sickness!_

_You fucker get up_

_Come on get down with the sickness!_

_Madness is the gift that has been given to me..._

She only listened to a small part of each song, but even that small bit was enough for her. All of the songs she listened to had a few things in common: All of them had a heavy and aggressive style to them, was about violence, feelings of hate and anger, and destroying one's enemies plus the singers had voices that were either very loud or sounded like they were from beyond the grave, and felt like they could cut through you like a surgeon's scalpel.

"What kind of a person is he that he listens to this stuff and _likes_ it? No wonder he resorts to violence so quickly…"

Speaking of violence, she took the earphones out of her ears and put the MP3 player back where it was when Chrono finally came back from the bathroom and walked towards her. They exchanged glances then he sat down and put the earphones back into his ears.

"_Huh? What the-"_

Chrono frowned. He could've sworn that the volume wasn't as loud as it was before…

"_Must be my imagination_."

Still, he felt for the volume control…and found that it was turned down significantly…

"_Was she messing with it while I was gone?"_

He wanted to believe it was Rosette, but he knew he had no proof and even if it was her she would never admit to it freely, she would deny ever touching his MP3 player.

"_I'll let it slide for now_. _No use getting worked up about something I can't prove."_

_That same day, after school_ _at the house of the Christopher's…_

Rosette had followed Chrono all the way home after school, even walked right next to him. Joshua, for his own safety and peace of mind, stayed some distance away with Azmaria right next to him. Rosette figured they could all follow Chrono home since they all lived in the same street, what with their houses being in close proximity to each other. As soon as they reached their respective houses, the group broke off from Chrono and went to Rosette's house.

"…and every song on that MP3 player was all about violence and death, nothing else," Rosette informed the group of what she experienced. "And you wouldn't believe the way those guys singing the songs sound like, if you can call it singing."

"Sounds about right."

"What are you talking about, Azmaria?""

"He listens to that kind of music all the time, it's nothing new. I've heard just about his whole collection over the last two years he's been here. Apparently, his room is sound proofed but I don't think they did a very good job at it. He has a sound system in his room and when he lets it go full blast even I can hear what he's listening to, 'cause our rooms are both on the second floors of our houses, and the only thing separating us is the fence between our houses."

"Then I guess some of the things I heard about him are true", Joshua remarked.

"What did you hear?"

"Well, some of the guys at school are saying, and I don't necessarily agree with them, that he's a…well, a devil worshipper or at least into something like that or perhaps even a drug abuser or maybe both. They all reckon that there can't be any other explanation for the way he acts around people and for the stuff he listens to."

"Joshua, that's just insane! You have no proof that's what he's doing!"

Azmaria's sudden outburst resulted in both of the Christopher siblings staring at her in surprise and Azmaria's cheeks going red very fast.

"Something you wanna tell us, Azmaria? 'Cause it sounds like you have something to say", Rosette asked.

"I…uhm…well…I just see the good in other people more easily than others. I just know there's more behind the way he acts than we know about. Did you know that there are those who actually respect him for the way he stands up against the bullies at school, and for the way he stands up for those who can't stand up for themselves? I'll give you an example, and I think I've told you this before: he stood up for me once when a couple of bullies were giving me a hard time. He told them straight they were a bunch of cowards and that he can't stand bullies. I don't think I have to tell you what happened to them afterwards. He's stood up for other people countless times, but he doesn't want them talking about it afterwards. I think that's because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself and have them talking about him again. I think he hates bullies because he may have been the target of a bully himself once. And Joshua, next time think before you open your mouth. Look at him: he doesn't act like your typical drug user. No, something happened to him that made him angry at the world and people in general. It's plain to see that he doesn't want people around him. Somewhere along the way, his faith in people was broken and that's the reason he acts the way he does, and people aren't making it any better for him when they talk behind his back and judge him before they even get to know him," Azmaria said as she glared at Joshua during that last part.

"Uh…sorry Azmaria."

"You should be apologizing to Chrono, not me."

"But you have to admit", Rosette said after being so quiet, "he's not making it easy for people to get to know him either. He either ignores you or just shuts you out completely."

"I just wanna know something, Azmaria: since when did you know so much about people?", Joshua wanted to know.

"I just have this feeling about people sometimes, and I can also pick up this kind of thing from observing people a lot. I know that deep down inside, he's actually a big softie. He just acts this way to protect himself, it's like a shell he puts up around himself and feels safe in. As for his choice of music, it's just an outlet for him or simply because he can relate to what these bands are saying in their music. His past probably wasn't a pleasant one, that much I can say for sure. What he needs, is someone who'll help him take down his defenses and show everyone who the real Chrono is. In short, I think he needs a friend."

"A friend? Hmm…"

Chrono knew that look on his sister's face too well.

"Sis? What kind of a half baked plan are you hatching this time?"

"Quiet, Joshua! I'm trying to think here."

"Whatever your plan is, I'm not gonna get involved. You can take this one solo. Count me out."

Joshua's words fell on deaf ears. Rosette was too deep in though to even hear him.

"_A friend, huh? Well, maybe we can work on that once he finally learns some manners and apologizes to me and Joshua. Until then, I'm gonna stick to him until he gets so sick of me he'll want to puke. Besides, he doesn't sound that bad, but still, a promise is a promise…"_

Chrono has no idea what's going coming for him, not when Rosette Christopher is on the case…

Author's note: And so we come to the end of another chapter. Hoped you all liked it and enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing this.

By the way, just to clarify a few things: the white haired figure Chrono saw in his dream at the beginning of the chapter is not Aion, if you're all wondering. Who is he, you ask? I will say this: all shall be revealed in time.

As for the songs, I don't know why I thought of it but I just had to include them. I thought it was a good idea so I went ahead and did it. And yes, I actually do listen to this kind of music all the time. Go check out my profile again, it says so clearly. Maybe that's why all the mothers in the neighborhood don't want their kids coming near me; they all think I'm a dangerous bastard. Or maybe that's why I can't get a date, who knows. But one thing is sure: I'm not gonna stop liking this music anytime soon. ; )

So what did Shader mean when she said Genai and Viede were "coming out soon?" Refer to the second paragraph of this author's note, in the last sentence, right at the end, for the answer. ; )

I hope that clears up any confusion that was picked up along the way. Let it not be said that I don't care about my readers. ; )

On a note of interest, see if you can find any irony within the songs I included in this chapter. Here's a clue: it relates to Chrono in one way or another. The first reader to correctly identify all the ironies gets a cookie from me. Sound fair?

Also, if you can, try getting some of the songs and listening to them so you can get some idea of what Rosette was feeling when she listened to them. Even if you don't like this kind of music, just try it and see for yourself how Rosette might have felt. It's up to you guys, just for interest's sake.

Until next time, adios amigos.


	7. The Girl Next Door Part 7

Author: Hi there everyone, how goes? (Notices the glare from the angry readers)

Author: Huh? Is something wrong?

Crowd of angry readers: HELL YEAH!

Author: This wouldn't have anything to do with the time it took me to update this fic would it?

Crowd of angry readers: Take a wild guess!

Author: OK, everyone calm down! Here's the new chapter you've been waiting for.

Crowd of angry readers: About damn time!

Author's note: OK, so I took a while to finish this. When I started this fic, I didn't think it would turn out this well. Thanks to you, it's seen the seventh chapter. As to the length of time it took to update this, I will say that I've been very busy lately. That, coupled with periodic bouts of laziness, did not help the situation. To add more fuel to the fire, I am also a gamer. Come on, you all know how it goes sometimes. "Just one more try", or, "Just let me finish this mission or this level." I fell into that trap and then some. Hey, I'm only human.

You'll probably be glad to hear that the Rosette-Chrono thing will be progressing this time. Not that far yet, but it is progressing. But let me also say that I am disappointed with you readers as well. Yes, I can do that, I am the author after all. (Abuse of power there ; ) I thought at least one of you would be able to list the ironies from the songs that were in the last fic. But, lo and behold, no one did! So no reward for anyone. No one has any appreciation for rock and metal anymore it seems. (Don't mind me, that's just some random ramblings. Listen to whatever you want to ; )

This is a response to MisoGirl's question: sorry, no one is taking anyone to bed in this fic. I'm an author for goodness' sake, not a pimp. I have my morals and values.

Little voice from nowhere: Don't listen to him! He doesn't know what he's talking about!

Author: Who's there? Who said that?

Little voice from nowhere: I'm your conscience, genius.

Author: Conscience? I don't have one anymore, I got rid of you a long time ago for good.

Little voice from nowhere: That's what you think, bub! I'm back this time! You can't get rid of me that easy!

Author: Is that so? Come here, you!

Little voice from nowhere: Bring it on, sucka!

(Fight ensues; Author ends up sending the little voice back from whence it came)

Author: Sorry, folks, I was experiencing some…technical difficulties if you will. Now, without any further ado, here's chapter 7!

Disclaimer: who cares anymore really? No one reads this anyway.

The Girl Next Door

Part 7

In nature, there is a certain hierarchy that can be observed in the animal kingdom that can be as easily observed in our everyday lives. The most dominant animals are always the leaders of the pack, the one who makes the decisions and decides what everyone else does. Those below the alpha male are expected to do what the leader wants them to. Let's call it the food chain for now, as an example.

Stepping out of the jungle and into the urban jungle, this structure is also in place in society. The business world has it: a departmental manager of a large corporation has people working under him, who in turn has a manager to oversee him and so the ladder goes up to the CEO of the corporation and the board of investors.

What is the point of all this, you may be asking yourself. What does any of this have to do with the story?

Believe it or not, this structure and one's place in it is established as early as the school years, and continues well into the high school years and after. Every high school has its food chain, with the bullies usually being at the top. "Survival of the fittest" at its most base level. They accord themselves the right to pick on others simply because they believe they are bigger and stronger than everyone else.

It is here that we draw our attention to a small town on the outskirts of New York, a town called Eden and its high school, Eden High. Even this fine educational institution has not escaped the plague of delinquents that infests its halls and makes life harder for the average student. This was the status quo…or it used to be.

Chrono was definitely anti-establishment.

No one would argue that he was at the top of the food chain, even higher than the bullies that would've occupied that part of the chain if he hadn't come along to make life harder for them. Chrono had a very dim view of those who picked on others for their own twisted amusement, and applied his own brand of justice to those he found guilty of the crime. No need to hazard a guess as to what Chrono's justice involved…

* * *

_Present day, at Eden High…_

Little Timmy was a newcomer to the world of high school. Having come to Eden High at the start of the school year, he was one of those unfortunate ones who were at the bottom of the so-called food chain. High school had not been kind to him, to put it mildly.

It was one of those days…

He wasn't sure why they always singled him out, but here he was again, backed up against a wall, surrounded by another bully and his goon squad.

"Give us your lunch money kid!"

"NO! It's mine, you can't take it!"

"Wanna bet?"

The leader had a sadistic grin on his face, making Timmy cringe. Whatever was going to happen, it would not be good for his health or self-esteem.

Timmy was correct.

The leader, still grinning, turned to his gang and merely said, "Boys, you know what to do."

So began the torture that Timmy dreaded. One of the gang members would grab him, and with the help of another member, turn him upside down and shake him so as to "liberate" his lunch money from him. After that, just for good measure they would administer a particularly painful wedgie, just to show Timmy who was boss.

What they didn't know was that a certain someone was watching this happen…

Later, when the last bell of the school day announced that it was time to go home, Timmy was waiting around for his mother to come pick him up, still thinking of what happened earlier that day. How was he going to explain this? This wasn't the first time this had happened. His mother wouldn't be happy, that much was sure.

While he was still in thought, Chrono approached him from behind.

"Hey, kid."

By now it was instinct for Timmy to want to run and hide the moment he heard a voice coming from behind, and this time was no different. But in his attempt to run away, he fell down on his face. His last resort was to hold his arms and hands out in front of him. "Please, leave me alone! I haven't got anything else for you to take from me! Just don't hurt me!"

"Who said anything about hurting you? That's the last thing on my mind."

Chrono went to the liberty of pulling Timmy up from the ground. Timmy didn't know what to make of this. "What…what do you want from me?"

"No wonder they always pick on you, you're an easy target for them. Here's some advice for you: grow a spine and get some guts while you're at it. I'm not always going to be there. Here, I think this belongs to you."

Timmy couldn't believe his eyes. Was…Chrono actually giving him back his stolen lunch money?

"Where did you get this?"

"Don't worry about it. There's also a little something extra in there from me. I didn't really need that money anyway."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"A thank you will do fine."

"Uh…yeah! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Isn't that your mother over there in the car, Timmy?"

"Yeah, I gotta go home now. I'll never forget you and what you've done for me! Bye!"

When Timmy got into the car, his mother asked, "Who were you talking to, honey?"

"My new hero, mom."

Chrono was well aware of everyone watching him, and didn't like it one bit. "What are you all looking at? Take a picture, it'll last longer!"

That was enough to make everyone look in another direction.

"_That's better. I don't want everyone to start thinking I'm actually nice or anything. I've worked too hard to establish my rep to let something like this ruin it all. So what if I helped Timmy? What I do and when I do it is my business."_

Contradiction is very well the word most people would use to describe what just transpired. How is it possible that the same person who is so anti-social does a complete turn around and helps someone out? The word bipolar had been mentioned before, but this kind of thing didn't happen often enough for it to be classified as such. One thing was certain: Chrono was a mystery that wouldn't be solved anytime soon, not if he had anything to say about it.

A certain blonde teen was making it her mission to try though….

* * *

Rosette, Joshua and Azmaria met after school at Rosette's house to talk about what had happened. She was among those who witnessed Chrono's unusual good deed, then his sudden change of attitude afterward. It didn't make any sense to her.

"I just can't figure him out. One moment he's all "don't look at me or I'll kill you", the next he's giving people back their stolen lunch money like its no big deal, and I'm not even going to ask how he got that money back. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how he did that."

"I told you he's like that, Rosette. He's done this before, it's not like any of this is new. The problem is that the rumor mill will be working overtime again when news of what happened spreads. From what I've seen, he doesn't like that very much. Too much attention focused on him, and we all know how he hates being in the spotlight."

"If he keeps this up he'll just have to get used to it. But there's one thing I would like to know, Azmaria: why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is he like this? What could have happened to him that was so terrible that he ended up like he did?"

"That's the million dollar question no one has the answer for, and no one has come any closer to finding out more about him. It's like he's a closed book and only he can open it, which he's not willing to do, not for anyone or anything."

"That settles it then."

"What settles what, sis?", Joshua asked, not sure if he was liking where this was going. He knew his sister too well; she was planning something again.

"I'm gonna ask him why he acts like this."

It was like a scene out of a sitcom when one of the characters is drinking something when another character says something that makes the first character spit out whatever they were drinking. Joshua happened to be drinking some Sprite…you do the math.

"Sis, I know I say this a lot, and you're probably tired of hearing it by now but…ARE YOU CRAZY!?!? Like he's just gonna tell you his life story if you ask him nicely. I don't even want to go into how low the chances of that happening any time soon are."

Rosette was not impressed with her brother. "What I need right now is some positive thinking, not a prophet of doom," Rosette said half-annoyed.

"Maybe if you'd actually listen to me half of the time, I wouldn't need to be the prophet of doom. But what do you do? You ignore what I say and do what you want to anyway, which usually ends up with someone getting hurt, namely ME!"

"Keep this up and you won't have to worry about Chrono hurting you", Rosette threatened Joshua.

"Sorry sis, but I won't be intimidated anymore. I'm standing up for myself; from now on, you can go solo, I won't be a part of your crazy schemes anymore, so- OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!"

Rosette's knuckles had found their way to Joshua's head and were burying themselves in his forehead, making Joshua scream out loud. So much for standing up for himself. Azmaria watched the scene in front of her and sighed. These two had to be the craziest brother and sister duo she had ever met.

Joshua, now released from Rosette's deadly grip, was laying half-unconscious on the floor. Rosette thought she may have overdone it a tad too much, but at least he was quiet now, and he had survived worse.

"_He'll be fine."_

Standing over Joshua, she said, "Let's get one thing straight here: you're right, I do what I want to and no one, not even you, is going to stop me from doing just that. If I want to find out just what makes Chrono tick, I'll do it no matter what you say. Second, I'm the oldest and if I say I need your help, it's because I genuinely need your help, not because I'm on a mission to make your life miserable. Third, unless you want to get another of my special noogies, then you'll stop being so negative every time I have a plan. Besides, not all my plans are that bad."

"Speak for yourself, sis," Joshua managed to mutter through the pain.

"What was that?!?, Rosette glared at Joshua, reminding him of what had just happened because of his attitude.

"Nothing sis, don't mind me as I wallow in the pain."

"Well, that settles it then. Tomorrow I'm going to ask him why he's like this. Any objections?"

Azmaria wouldn't have objected anyway because it wouldn't have made any difference and Joshua was still experiencing too much pain too even think of raising an objection. Under the circumstances he couldn't even think, much less argue.

* * *

_Next day at Eden High…_

Recess had come and by now Rosette was already seated next to Chrono while he was listening to his music. All she needed now was a chance to talk to him. If only she could get him to listen to her instead of his MP3 player….

"_How can I possibly get him to just hear me out? As long as he's got those earphones covering his ears, he'll never hear a thing I'm saying."_

She looked around for anything that could be used to get his attention, but nothing would've helped her out. Still, she didn't want to give up that easily. There had to be some way.

That's when she looked at the MP3 player itself. She happened to remember when Joshua told her how to work the device, and a smile formed on her face. She knew exactly how to get his attention.

She leaned over and pressed the stop button on the MP3 player.

Chrono was still listening when the music suddenly stopped. Frowning, he took of the earphones and was about to investigate when he looked Rosette in the face. He didn't even need to ask, he had identified the "cause" for the abrupt loss of sound in his earphones.

He was very quick in giving his annoyance a voice.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"Sorry about that, but I wouldn't have gotten your attention any other way."

"You don't sound very sorry."

Ignoring that comment for the time being, Rosette continued.

"I just want to ask you a simple question, that's all."

"Forget it. I don't do answers to questions."

"It's just one single question, nothing major. What have you got to lose?"

"Perfectly good time that could've been used for something else."

"I saw what you did yesterday, how you returned Timmy's stolen lunch money. It's not the first time you've done this. You've helped others in the same situation. Do you realize that people actually admire you for what you've done? You're like a hero to them. You gave them hope when there was none. You helped them when no one else would, and you didn't even expect to be rewarded for it."

"What's your point?"

"All I want to know is, why the attitude? You could be a really nice guy if you just stopped feeding everyone the lonely tough guy crap. Why do you insist on shutting everyone out of your life? What's so great about being alone all the time?"

"_Dammit, this is exactly what I was afraid of. Now they'll start thinking I'm a nice guy. I can't let that happen, my rep is on the line."_

"All right, so what if I returned Timmy's lunch money? So what if I took pity on him? There, you happy now? I just admitted to taking pity on him. What're you gonna do now? Hold a press conference and tell everyone I felt sorry for him?"

"I don't need to do that; the rumor mill will do that for me. I'm just saying that you don't need to be like this. You could be a much better person if you just make the effort to change your attitude."

"_What the hell is it with her? Who does she think she is, telling me what to do?"_

Chrono's thoughts were soon translated into words.

"Is that right? Since when were you a self help expert slash motivational speaker? Let's establish one thing right here, right now: you don't tell me what to do, ever. Who do you think you are, my mother? If I want to be the way I am, then I'll stay this way. I'm not changing who I am just because you don't like it. People have made me who I am today, and I wouldn't expect you to understand, because you haven't been through what I've been through. So don't pretend like you know what it's all about, you don't know jack squat."

"Maybe I don't know everything, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you could be a much better human being. Human beings weren't meant to be alone, we're social by nature."

"How about that? Now you can add a study of human behavior to your list of achievements. I don't conform to the norm, I do my own thing. I choose to be alone, because the only person you can truly rely on is yourself. People will let you down and disappoint you, even betray you given half the chance, and then what do you have? Nothing. Relying and trusting on others is a weakness, I learned that the hard way."

"Is that how you see the world? A dark and empty place where everyone is alone, where you can't trust anyone?"

"It's a little something I call reality. The sooner you realize the world isn't the happy place you think it is, the better for you and everyone else."

"But the world isn't always like that. It can be a great place if you just look past all the negatives and see the positives for a change."

"Shows how much you know. No matter how you look at it, the negatives will always outweigh the positives, there's no getting past it."

"You're wrong. I know the world isn't always a happy place but it's not always the kind of place you think it is. There will be good times and there will be bad times, it's just part of life. There's nothing you can do about it, you just have to live with it."

"You're missing the point completely, but then again I wouldn't expect someone who hasn't been where I've been to understand. No one understands what it was like."

"Wouldn't understand what? What have you been through that was so terrible?"

"_Okay, at first I didn't mind her hanging around but now she's getting too nosey for her own damn good." _

"None of your business."

"Is that your answer for everything?"

"Always, especially to people like you who can't leave well enough alone."

"I'm just trying to help. No need to get all worked up."

"Did I ask for your help?"

"Huh?"

"Just answer my question: did I ask for your help? It's a simple yes or no."

"No, you didn't, but-"

"I'm glad we got that out of the way. Now, here's the thing: I don't want or need your help. I don't need anybody's help. I'm fine just the way I am, and I would appreciate it if you stopped asking about things that don't concern you."

"But I said I'm just trying to help-"

Chrono had just about had enough of Rosette at that point. His temper was dangerously close to the boiling point.

"AND I SAID I DON'T WANT OR NEED YOUR HELP!"

Rosette was taken by surprise at his outburst. From what she had seen he was always so calm and collected, but now she realized she may have pushed him over the edge a little too far.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? My personal life and my past have nothing to do with you! Let's get this straight, I don't need anybody. I live by my strength alone. I don't like people, for all I care they can all die, you included! I am alone because I chose to be. NOW GO TO HELL, AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Before Rosette could even answer Chrono had walked away, leaving her to ponder the events of a few minutes before. She wasn't exactly sure of what to make of it. But what he had said about himself really struck her.

"_I don't need anybody."_

"How can he say that? Everybody needs somebody."

"_I don't want or need anybody's help."  
_

"What's he going to do when he really needs help one day?"

"_I am alone because I chose to be."_

"How can anyone choose to cut themselves off from the rest of the world? Doesn't he realize what he's missing?"

"_I live by my strength alone." _

"What's going to happen when his own strength isn't enough to keep him going anymore? There's only so much he can do on his own."

Rosette would never have admitted it to anyone else, but strangely, a wave of pity came over her. She was actually feeling sorry for Chrono.

"I don't know what happened to him to make him feel this way, but no one has to go through life the way he does. Someone has to do something about this."

She started looking at Chrono in a completely different perspective. There was a reason for the way he acted around other people. The way he treated Joshua on the first day they had met wasn't because he felt like acting like a jerk, it was because it was second nature to him. It was just a reaction based on his past experience in dealing with other people, and the way he was treated in return.

No longer was he the rude jerk she saw him as before, but rather someone who built up a wall around himself so no one else could get in. On the outside he acted tough, but on the inside he was harboring an immense hurt and pain that still haunts him to this day.

"_I think he needs a friend."_

Rosette thought back to the conversation she had with Azmaria a few days before. Maybe she was right; maybe he did need a friend. But how? How would anyone ever be able to get that close to him? Who would be willing to risk it, taking Chrono's reputation into account?

Rosette's lips formed a smile. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. I've gotten him to actually have a conversation with me, so I might as well take it a step further."

* * *

_Saturday, that same week at Gus's apartment…_

Chrono decided he needed to pay Gus a visit so they could finalize their plans to leave their mark on the next school dance.

"We still have a week left, Gus. Are you sure you have everything we need?"

"Hey, you're talking to a pro here. I was hacking like an expert while you were still in diapers, my friend."

"Now that's what I want to hear. We can't leave anything to chance."

"What are you so worried about? Everything went fine the last time and the time before that. I could hack into that system blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back."

"See? That's what I mean right there. We're getting too relaxed, too comfortable. That's a weakness we can't afford. A true pro would be prepared for anything."

"You're not starting to doubt my skills, are you?"

"No Gus, don't take me wrong here. You're one of the best, that's a sure fact. I just have so much on my mind right now…Man, is that chick ever annoying."

"Chick? You mean a girl, right?"

"I wasn't talking about a chicken, now was I, genius?"

"Yeah, smartass, you just keep that up. Lucky for you I know you well enough to know you mean nothing by it."

"Getting too nosey for her own good. That Rosette Christopher girl had better stay out of my way."

"Rosette Christopher? Who's she?"

"The source of all my frustrations."

"So what she do to you?"

"She needs a serious attitude readjustment. Who does she think she is?"

"Whoa, hold your horses. You're not making sense."

"To cut a long one short, this is what happened: When they first moved here, her pipsqueak brother tried to be all friendly with me. Let's just say I wasn't in a good mood that day, and certain things were said that made her think I was gonna beat the hell out of him. Now she's demanding that I apologize to her and her brother for the way I treated them. Now she's even gone so far as following me around, thinking she can get me to apologize if she annoys me enough. But she's in for a hell of an education. There's no way I'm gonna give in. She can wait until doomsday and she still won't get that apology out of me."

Gus burst out laughing suddenly. Chrono was not impressed with his older friend. He didn't see what was so funny.

"Whatever you're laughing at, it can't be that funny 'cause I aint laughing."

"Sorry dude, but it sounds like you two deserve each other. I don't know who's more stubborn, you or her!"

"You're not helping, Gus."

"Sorry, but I really couldn't help myself. So she's stuck to you until you say you're sorry?"

"That's what I said. I can honestly say I've never met anyone like her though. Anyone else would've given up long ago. But she's actually going through with this and she's prepared to go all the way. I suppose you have to respect her for it, but it doesn't make her any less annoying. Today, she crossed the line."

"Crossed the line? What did she do?"

"She had the nerve to ask me all kinds of personal questions, stuff that doesn't concern her. I don't know where she got it in her head to pop those kinds of questions, but I gave her a piece of my mind pretty fast. Hopefully she'll remember not to stick her nose where it doesn't belong from now on."

"I don't know. It sounds to me like she's not gonna give up any time soon. Maybe you should just apologize and get it over with."

"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna give her the satisfaction! Besides, whose side are you on?"

"I'm Switzerland, my friend, I am neutral. I just think you should swallow your pride and apologize. Else that girl is gonna keep coming back every time. That's what I would do if I were you."

"Well, you're not me, Gus. I'll show her that I can't be annoyed to the point of giving in. She's not gonna get the better of me."

"Let it not be said that I didn't try to help. Suffer on, my friend."

"She can bring it on. I've been through worse. Oh damn, look at the time. I kinda promised my uncle I'd be at the house early tonight."

"What's the occasion?"

"The "frustration" and her family are coming over to my house tonight for dinner. My aunt invited them."

"Good luck to you, that's all I'll say."

"Nah, I'm not worried. I'll just stay out of sight and only show myself when I absolutely have to. Besides, I wanna practice again. Haven't had a chance to do that in a while."

"Oh, you mean _that_ practice, right?"

"Bingo. I'll just stay in the basement the whole time. No one comes in while I'm practicing anyway."

"You know, with a talent like yours, you really should consider-"

"I know what you're going to say, and the answer is still no. That one time was the first and the last time. You know why, I told you the whole story."

"But that was so long ago. Not everyone is like that. I've seen what you can do. It's a downright shame that you don't-"

"Drop it, Gus."

By the tone in Chrono's voice, Gus could tell that Chrono was not willing to take the conversation any further.

"Okay, I'll leave it alone. So the next time I see you, we've got a dance to crash."

"Next Friday at 6 o'clock. See you here."

* * *

Rosette was not exactly happy to hear she'd have to spend the evening at the "jerk's house. Neither was Joshua, for obvious reasons. Rosette said she'd make sure Chrono didn't even come near him, but he wasn't convinced at all. He felt like he was a lamb being led to the slaughter.

Rosette tried to tell herself that it wouldn't be so bad having to be in the same house as Chrono. But a little voice in her head kept saying, "Yeah, right".

"It won't be so bad."

"_Yeah, right."_

"I'll just stay out of his way."

"_Yeah, right."_

"Oh, who am I kidding?"

"_Now you're making sense."_

"Shut up! I didn't ask for your opinion. Now get lost!"

"_Fine, sister. Don't say I didn't try to warn ya."_

Rosette didn't even find it strange that she was arguing with a voice in her head. Were she in public it would've definitely raised a few eyebrows.

"But…maybe this would be a good opportunity to find try to get close to him. Maybe he'll act differently in an environment he's familiar with."

* * *

_Later, at Chrono's house…_

"…And this is my daughter, Rosette, and my son, Joshua."

Rosette's parents were introducing her and her brother to Chrono's uncle and aunt. "I don't think anyone would mistake them for anyone else's kids," aunt Kathy remarked. "I don't think I've ever seen any child resemble their parents so much."

"Yeah, we didn't really think they'd look like us, but as they got older we started noticing the similarities. Amazing, huh?", said Rosette's father, Vincent Christopher.

A quick look at Rosette, Joshua and their parents would make you think you were seeing double. Joshua looked like a younger version of his father. Likewise, Rosette and her mother shared the same looks.

"Oh, honey, let's not bore them any further. I'm sure they don't want to listen to you go on about the kids the whole time", commented their mother, Angela.

"Can't a father be proud of his kids?"

"Of course he can, but you can't make it the topic of conversation all the time."

"I'm sure any parent would be proud of their kids", uncle Ryan said smiling. "Ah, Aion, perfect timing. Meet Mr. and Mrs. Christopher."

Aion had just walked in. He wasted no time in greeting the Christopher family. "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Christopher. And who do we have here? A vision of loveliness if I ever saw one", he said while he looked at Rosette. "It's clear to see where you get you're looks from, my dear. Like mother like daughter, they say. Let me be the first to officially welcome you to our humble abode."

"Uh…thanks", Rosette muttered, feeling a bit awkward.

"_Who is this guy? Man, talk about weird!"_

"If only I were a few years younger. But alas, I'm a freshman in college", Aion continued.

"Watch it, buster."

A voice Aion knew too well brought him back to reality. He spun around and looked straight into the face of his new girlfriend, Rizelle.

"Oh, uh…I didn't see you there, Rizelle." Aion started sweating; he knew he was busted.

"Obviously you didn't."

"I…can explain…"

"Save it. I thought we'd talked about this. Lucky for you I'm understanding, more understanding than I should be."

The next moment she grabbed Aion by the ear, then turned to face Rosette. "Sorry about that. He gets like this sometimes. It's times like these that I have to save him from himself."

With that, she dragged Aion away while he kept on going "Ouch!" the whole time.

The sight of Aion being dragged away by his ear like a little kid made everyone laugh. When everyone had finally calmed down, Uncle Ryan said, "Well everyone, you just met brother number one, Aion."

"Oh yes, that's right. You mentioned the other one the other day. Chrono, was it?"

"Yes Vincent, that would be Chrono. Strange, I wonder where he is. You haven't seen him, have you Kathy?"

"The last time I saw he was down in the basement."

"Oh, I see. He's probably practicing again. Better just leave him for now."

Rosette's curiosity got the better of her. "What's he doing down in the basement?"

"Why don't you go find out for yourself, dear? The door to the basement is in the kitchen, it's a white door, you can't miss it. Just don't let him see you", Aunt Kathy suggested to Rosette.

"I think I'll go do that. Thanks. Want to come with, Joshua?"

"No thanks, sis, I'm staying right here."

"Suit yourself."

It didn't take Rosette long to find right door. "Wonder what he does down there. And what was that they said about him practicing? Well, I guess now's the time to find out."

She slowly opened the door, tiptoed inside, and closed the door behind her. A few steps were all that stood between her and finding out what Chrono was doing down here. She tiptoed further inside, then peeked around the corner. Inside she could see a punching bag suspended from the ceiling, and a few weights lying around, plus a bench like the ones you'd find in the gym for exercising with weights. She peeked even further, making sure not to reveal her presence. She finally saw Chrono busy…tuning a guitar?

"_He actually plays the guitar? This I gotta see."_

Behind Chrono were two large speakers connected to a small CD player. She also noticed that the guitar he was tuning was plugged into one of the large speakers. She wondered what this was all about.

"_I thought he actually played the guitar. So what's he doing with the CD player?" _

She didn't wait long to find out. Chrono finished tuning the guitar, walked over to the CD player, inserted a disk, and stood ready with the guitar in hand. What she didn't know then was that the guitar he was holding was an electric one…

Suddenly, the speakers came to life. An intro to a song was playing, a heavy and aggressive one, the ones she knew Chrono liked. When the intro was done, she saw Chrono starting to play on the guitar itself.

"_No ways. He can't fool me, that's not him playing. It's the CD player making that sound."_

She was soon proven wrong. The cable that connected his guitar to the speakers accidentally came loose. As soon as that happened, the song still played but without the sound of the electric guitar that Chrono had been playing.

Rosette's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "_NO WAY! But…it couldn't…how did he...?"_

She overheard Chrono saying, "Damn, not again. This always happens."

He put the cable back in where it belonged, reset the song back to the start, then waited again for his cue. This time, nothing went wrong. When the intro was over, Chrono started playing his part. At the same time a voice was singing over the speakers, the same kind of voice she expected to hear from the kind of music she knew he listened to.

_Yeah! _

_This television has a poison on its breath. _

_This counter culture of both wicked lies and death. _

_It makes my eyes bleed every time I turn around. _

_How will they all feel when I bring them to the ground? _

_And I'll say. _

_I walk for miles inside this pit of danger. _

_A place where no one follows me, I walk alone. _

_Huh! _

_I'm sick of all these people talkin' out their heads. _

_I've never understood a damn thing that they said. _

_From words to actions never knowing what they're about. _

_I guess I'll have to chew them up and spit them out. _

_And I'll say! _

_I walked for miles inside this pit of danger. _

_I've swallowed down a thousand years of anger. _

_The weight of the world is falling on my shoulders. _

_A place where no one follows me I walk alone. _

_Yeah! _

_I walk alone. _

_Oh Yeah! _

_Yeah! _

_I walked for miles inside this pit of danger. _

_I've swallowed down a thousand years of anger. _

_The weight of the world is falling on my shoulders. _

_A place where no one follows me I walk alone. _

_I walk alone. Yeah!_

From where she was standing, Chrono looked like he was really getting into this. He played that electric guitar like there was no tomorrow, and he played nearly flawlessly. Now she really couldn't believe what she was seeing or hearing.

"_Wait till I tell Joshua and Azmaria. They're not gonna believe this."_

The song faded out eventually, and not a moment too soon. Rosette didn't know how much more her ears could take, but Chrono was far from done. The intro to another song was starting again.

_I never knew that a kid like me _

_Could take his mic around the world and flash the big S.D. _

_And rock the masses, from Madrid to Calabasas_

_Tijuana, Mexico, bootleg demos in Tokyo _

_They know me though, 'cause I be puttin' in work _

_Commit my life to rebirth, well respected, 'cause that's my word _

_I'm sure you heard (heard), about a new sound going around _

_She might have left my hood, but she was born in my town _

_You didn't know, thought we was new on the scene _

_Well, it's alright! It's alright! _

_I know you know, I see you smiling at me _

_Well, it's alright! It's alright! _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, here comes the voice from the South _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, how you like me now?_

_I said_

_We rep. the South, so what you talking about? _

_I'm not running off my mouth, I know this without a doubt _

_'Cause if you know these streets, then these streets know you _

_When it's time to handle business, then you know what to do (what to do)_

_Me and my crew, we stay true, old school or new _

_Many were called, but the chosen are few (were a few)_

_We rise to the top, what you want? Just in case you forgot _

_Rush the stage, grab my mic, show me what you got_

_You didn't know, thought we was new on the scene _

_Well, it's alright! It's alright! _

_I know you know, I see you smiling at me _

_Well, it's alright! It's alright! _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, here comes the voice from the South _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, how you like me now?_

_I said_

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, here comes the voice from the South _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, how you like me now? _

_Is that all you got? _

_I'll take your best shot._

_I'll take your best shot._

_Is that all you got?_

_Well, it's alright! It's alright!_

_I'll take your best shot._

_Is that all you got?_

_Well, it's alright! It's alright!_

_I'll take your best shot._

_Is that all you got?_

_I'll take your best shot._

_Well, it's alright! It's alright!_

_I'll take your best shot._

_I'll take your best shot._

_Is that all you got?_

_I'll take your best shot._

_Well, it's alright! It's alright!_

_I'll take your best shot._

_I'll take your best shot._

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, here comes the voice from the South _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, (haha) how you like me now? _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, here comes the voice from the South _

_Boom! Here comes the Boom! _

_Ready or not, ( haha), how you like me now?_

What Rosette was seeing was Chrono at his happiest, behind a guitar. He was in the zone; at that moment, he and his guitar were like one. It was like the guitar was an extension of himself. But what really surprised her about all of this was the fact that Chrono actually played a musical instrument to begin with.

Chrono still wasn't done though. The intro to another song was playing again. He stopped it for a moment, took his guitar, placed it against the wall, then took another from the two others standing there as well. He quickly tuned in the new guitar, then resumed the song. But this song was different. It wasn't aggressive; it actually sounded like a sad tune that was playing.

"_No way! Is he actually…singing this time?"_

_In our headlights, staring, bleak, beer cans, deer's eyes_

_On the asphalt underneath, our crushed plans and my lies_

_Lonely street signs, power lines, they keep on flashing, flashing by_

_And we keep driving into the night_

_It's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye_

_And we keep driving into the night_

_It's a late goodbye_

_Your breath hot upon my cheek, and we crossed, that line_

_You made me strong when I was feeling weak, and we crossed, that one time_

_Screaming stop signs, staring wild eyes, keep on flashing, flashing by_

_And we keep driving into the night_

_It's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye_

_And we keep driving into the night_

_It's a late goodby__e_

_The devil grins from ear to ear when he sees the hand he's dealt us_

_Points at your flaming hair, and then we're playing hide and seek_

_I can't breathe easy here, less our trail's gone cold behind us_

_Till' in the john mirror you stare at yourself grown old and weak_

_And we keep driving into the night_

_It's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye..._

Now there's something you don't see everyday: Chrono playing a guitar like a pro, and then singing. But it was the singing that Rosette couldn't comprehend.

"_He actually sounds like a good singer. No, I lied. He's an excellent singer! I can't believe he's not in the school choir with a voice like his!"_

Unfortunately, she hadn't noticed that she was steadily losing her balance as she peeked around the corner. She made a big mistake when she tried to peek even more. The next moment, she fell down on the floor, only a few feet away from Chrono.

Chrono quickly spun around from what he was doing to look straight at Rosette lying there. In that moment it was uncertain who was more surprised, Chrono or Rosette.

The first one to utter anything was Chrono. "How long have you been watching me?"

Rosette got up, dusted herself off, then replied, "Long enough."

"Get out."

"But-"

"I said get out!"

"Okay, fine. I know when I'm not wanted."

"_Now isn't that ironic?"_, Chrono thought. "_She only figures out now that I don't want her around me anyway. The joke is that Monday she'll be at it again."_

Rosette walked out there still unable to register everything she saw and heard in the last few minutes.

"_First there's him playing a musical instrument, then he actually sings! Have to admit, his voice is unbelievable! You'd never think someone like him would actually be able to sing like that! I'm probably the first one outside his own family to actually see this! I'll bet no one from school has ever gotten this far!"_

Aunt Kathy passed by when she saw Rosette standing there. "Is everything okay, dear?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, everything's just fine. I was just wondering about something."

"Yes?"

"I saw Chrono in the basement playing a guitar. Does he do that a lot?"

"All the time. His mother had him take guitar lessons when he was younger. That's when they discovered just how talented he was."

"Yeah, I gathered that much. I just never took him for someone who'd actually do something like this. I even heard him sing. I can't get over how his voice sounds! I never knew he could sing like that."

"He keeps it to himself really. We tried to encourage him to join the school choir or maybe even a band, but he refused. I guess he has his reasons. He only ever sings and plays for himself. It's a shame that a talent like his is wasted."

"It sure is. I can't believe he doesn't do something with it. This isn't something you hide; this is something you share with others."

"Like I said, he keeps it to himself. I just wish there was a way to get him to open up."

"But something's confusing me: I saw he had a CD player down there as well. What's that all about?"

"Oh, that. He edits out the parts of the songs he doesn't want on his computer, then he saves the edited song on a CD, then he comes down to the basement and plays the part he edited out. That must be what you're wondering about, dear."

"_So that's what's going on. He really did play his guitar when I thought it was just the CD player. So he probably sang for real too. This is just amazing."_

Now Rosette was more determined than ever. The night was still young, and there was still plenty of time to unravel the mystery that was Chrono…

Author's note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I think you'll agree when I say it was worth the wait. Given my busy schedule, I can't say for certain when I'll have the next chapter ready, but I will try to bring it out faster next time.

I wasn't sure if Rosette's parents' names were ever mentioned in the manga or the anime, so I just made up some names. Let me know what you think. (I never read the manga, only watched the anime.)

Without giving too much away, by now I think you may have sort of guessed where this fic is headed with regards to Chrono's apparent talent for playing the guitar and singing. Let me just say I had this idea already before **BlackRose108's** fic , In The Life Of Rock Star. That's a pretty good fic by the way. All I'm saying is that I started writing this fic before the whole Chrono-in-a-band thing became popular. I guess now the challenge is to find a new way to present an old idea.

So was Chrono meaner to Rosette this time than he usually is? If you think so, let me know.

Just for interests' sake, the first song is by the rock band _Saliva_. The song's name is _I Walk Alone/Unleashed._

The second song is by the rock band, _P.O.D_. The song's name is _Boom!_

And last but not least, the last song is by the alternative rock group, _Poets of the Fall_. The song's name is _Late Goodbye_. Yes, it does have a sad-ish sound to it. Not too much, but it's there.

And in other news, I finally have my e-mail account sorted out. For those who are interested, go check out my profile to find out what my new e-mail address is you feel the need to reach me for suggestions or comments.

That about wraps it up, I think. You know what to do, if you want to see chapter eight, then click on that little button that says "review." Come on, you know it's the right thing to do ; )

Until we meet again, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off…

(Cue sound of static)


	8. The Girl Next Door Part 8

Author's note: Before I say anything else, let me at least wish you all a Happy New Year and many thanks for supporting me this far. A bit late I know, but better late than never.

Ok, now that's out the way, let's get down to business. I will admit it has been at least a few months since I updated. Sometimes my creativity just won't play along and I end up getting lazy and unmotivated. Let me put it this way, I would rather write something good that takes me a long time to finish instead of writing a half baked chapter that took me only a few hours to complete but is utterly terrible. Sometimes its quality that counts, not quantity. Besides that, my computer crashed recently and I was forced to reinstall my operating system, and after that was over I still had reinstall all my applications and programs, plus set up my e-mail and Internet accounts…I think you get the picture. Anyway who's been through this will know what I'm talking about.

One last thing, I've threatened to do this since the first chapter but I never got around to it. What am I talking about? Why, the introduction of a new character of course. Actually, this character is old but we all this person really well. Who is it? Just read on to find out. With that in mind, here's chapter eight, enjoy!

The Girl Next Door

Part 8

Rosette wasted no time in telling Joshua what she had seen and heard. As soon as she was done talking to Aunt Kathy, she went looking for him.

"_He's not gonna believe any of this."_

Her assumption was correct.

"I just can't believe it, sis. Something just doesn't add up here."

"I'm telling you, that's what I saw with my own two eyes. He was playing the guitar and singing. I wouldn't make up something like this."

"But, I mean, look at the guy, and then you tell me if it looks like he's capable of playing a guitar in the first place."

"You saying I'm lying?"

"Of course not, sis. But all sounds too bizarre to be true."

"You should have come with me. You would've seen for yourself if you weren't so scared for nothing."

"Not scared, just careful", Joshua corrected his sister.

"Call it what you want, it still amounts to the same thing."

"Look, I'm not gonna spend the night arguing with you, sis. Let's just agree to disagree."

"Fine. Have it your way."

Just then, Aion happened to be passing by. That gave Rosette an idea. If anyone could shed some light on Chrono's character, his brother would be the best place to start.

"Come on, Joshua. I'm gonna prove to you what I saw was real. Hey, Aion."

Aion turned around to identify the person who just addressed him. "Oh…sorry for what I did before. I don't know what came over me. If Rizelle hadn't shown up-"

"That's okay. Just promise never to do that to me again and we're cool."

"Thanks for understanding. So, is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah. What can you tell us about Chrono?"

Aion frowned a bit. He didn't exactly hear this kind of request every day.

"I'll tell you what I can, but don't expect any personal stuff or anything like that. As much as we argue, he's still my brother and some things should stay between siblings. I'm sure you can understand that since you have a brother too."

"I do. So, how long has he been playing the guitar?"

"How'd you know about that?"

"I kinda saw him down in the basement playing. I also heard him sing."

"Man, he would be really pissed if he knew you saw him."

"He already knows. Long story."

"You're lucky you're a girl. If you were a guy, you wouldn't have a single tooth left in your mouth, or a single bone in your body unbroken."

"So how long has he been playing the guitar?"

"Since before we came to live here. He's got real talent, but he just sits in that stuffy basement and hides it from everyone. Some days I feel like giving him a kick under the ass so he'd actually do something with the talent he's been given. But it wouldn't help anyway. He'd just rebel against it and we'd be back where we started."

"Ha, in your face, Joshua! I told you so!"

"Seeing is believing, sis. I still have to see it for myself."

Rosette's feeling of victory was soon replaced with defeat. "Man, what is wrong with you? You've just heard an eyewitness testimony and you still won't believe?"

"Nothing personal, sis."

"Oh ye of little faith. Fine, be that way."

Aion couldn't help but crack a smile at these two. He'd never seen any siblings act the way they did, and he doubted he'd ever see it again in anyone else. No, they were two of a kind.

"So…has Chrono always been the way he is now?"

"I don't know if you'll believe it, but no, he hasn't always been like this. There was a time when he was a normal kid like everyone else. But things changed when our parents started having problems in their marriage. He wasn't exactly the most popular kid at school either. Then, he got involved with the wrong kind of people. Eventually, he changed so much it was like he was a completely different person. He wasn't the brother I knew anymore. Then people he thought he could trust betrayed him and…Look, I'm not saying any more. He had me promise not to tell anyone about his past. Sorry, but a promise is a promise, and he is my brother after all. He'd do the same for me."

"Are you really sure you can't tell us anything else? Not even a little bit?"

"Sorry, these lips are sealed."

"Okay. Thanks anyway."

_Meanwhile, in the basement…_

"She's got some guts coming down here. I'm gonna have to lock the door next time."

Chrono wasn't exactly thrilled that Rosette had discovered him doing the one thing he didn't want anyone else seeing him do. So shocked and surprised was he that she found him he couldn't focus on playing anymore.

"I just hope she has the damn sense to keep this to herself."

Yeah, right. As if Rosette wouldn't use this to her advantage…

Just then, he heard the door opening and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. His brother appeared from around the corner soon after.

"Hey bro."

"Hey Aion."

"Uncle Ryan told me to tell you that dinner's almost ready."

"Okay, I'll be up in a minute."

"Just try to be nice to them, just this once."

"Can't promise anything, Aion, especially if that nosey chick gets in my way again."

"Hey, you can't be angry at her forever. She was just curious. You can't blame her for that."

"How'd you know she came down here?"

"She told me. Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything she wasn't supposed to hear. Your secrets are safe with me."

"For your sake, I hope not. Tell Uncle Ryan I'll be there in a moment."

"Just one last thing before I go: How much longer are you gonna sit here and let your talents go to waste?"

"Aion, we've talked about this. You're just wasting your breath. I've told you a million times, there is no way I'm ever going on a stage again."

"But that one time-"

"Was the first and the last time, Aion. Not gonna happen again. Just drop it."

"Someday Chrono, I'll get through to you."

"Don't hold your breath."

_A few minutes later…_

"And here we have brother number 2, Chrono."

Uncle Ryan was introducing Chrono to Rosette's parents just before they sat down for dinner. Since Chrono never talked much to people he didn't know, he didn't make much eye contact.

"Aren't you a handsome one" Rosette's mother commented. "I bet the girls at school don't leave you alone for a minute, do they?"

"Not…really, ma'am", Chrono answered, feeling awkward at all the attention he was getting.

"Don't be so modest. You know, my Rosette is single at the moment," Rosette's father added, winking at Chrono.

"_Never in a million years, old man."_

Rosette was having similar thoughts.

"_In your dreams, dad."_

Soon, everyone was seated at the table, enjoying their food. Everyone, except for Chrono and Rosette, who just happened to be seated across from each other, occasionally exchanging glances with each other. The adults were talking about the usual everyday things adults did. That was, until Rosette's parents started asking Chrono a few questions about his life.

"So Chrono, have you decided what university or college you want attend after you've graduated?"

"No, not yet ma'am."

"But you have decided on a career, right?"

"Not yet, ma'am."

"Well, you should do that as soon as possible. Knowing what career you want to follow will help you decide which college or university to attend."

"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."

"_Oh brother. Is that all he's gonna say all night?"_

That's when Rosette got an idea. She smiled to herself; this was going to be good.

"_Sometimes I amaze even myself. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. It's payback time buddy. Time to sweat a little."_

"By the way, mom, dad, did you know Chrono plays the guitar?"

Chrono nearly choked on the food he was chewing when Rosette uttered those words. His eyes seemed to enlarge so much from the shock it seemed they couldn't fit in their sockets anymore. He quickly grabbed the glass of water next to his plate to try and wash the food down with before he choked completely.

"Chrono, are you okay?", his aunt asked sounding concerned.

"I'm…fine…just something…that got stuck…in my throat, that's all", he managed to mutter as soon as he could resume normal breathing.

Rosette was enjoying this immensely. This was just too good an opportunity to pass up, and she was making sure she was making full use of it.

"Not only that, he sings too."

Both Aion and Joshua were thinking the same thing: here comes trouble with a capital T.

"Is that true, Chrono?", Rosette's mother asked.

"Uh…sort of, ma'am."

"Well, that's just wonderful. Are you in a band or the school choir?"

"Uh…no, ma'am."

"That's a shame. You shouldn't waste your talents."

Chrono tried to salvage what he could before the whole thing got out of hand. This was the last thing he wanted to become public knowledge.

"I'm not really that good. I'm sure there are guys out there that are better than me."

Rosette decided now was the time to turn up the heat. "Oh, he's just being modest, mom. He's really good. I should know, I saw him playing and singing myself."

Chrono only had one thing on his mind: complete and utter revenge.

"_This time she's gone too far. I'm taking her down for good."_

Rosette knew Chrono was livid, but she just kept up the innocent act. She was enjoying this too much to back out now. Aion and Joshua, silent observers to what had happened, were thinking the same thing: Rosette had just awoken a sleeping giant. Now, Chrono would never lay hands on a lady, but there was more than one way to get ice-cold revenge without using your fists, you just had to be smarter…

_Monday, Eden High, Music Class…_

So far, Rosette had kept quiet about what she saw in the basement, which suited Chrono perfectly. He just had to get through the rest of the day, and everything would be fine. Her silence was all he was hoping for. That wasn't asking much, was it?

Yeah, right. He had forgotten one thing-hell has no fury like a woman scorned…

So it was that Chrono found himself in Mr. Steiner's music class alongside Rosette and the rest of his classmates. He never really participated: when everyone sang, he only made like he was singing. Who would be any wiser? Besides, half the class was tone-deaf anyway. It was the perfect excuse for him not to have to sing for real. He had a rep to protect.

Poor old Mr.Steiner. Even after all the time he spent teaching at Eden High, he still hadn't found the "one", the one student who would be the next big thing and make all of this worthwhile. But he couldn't even so much as get anyone to volunteer when he asked for someone to be brave enough to come to the front of the class for a solo part in the next song.

Speaking of Mr. Steiner, he turned to the class and asked the infamous words, "So, who wants to volunteer for the solo part in the next song?"

Utter silence.

"Your enthusiasm is underwhelming. Come on, don't be shy now. Who wants to try? Anyone?"

The room was so quiet the sound of a pin dropping would have been deafening. After almost a whole minute of silence, Mr. Steiner sighed, shaking his head afterwards. "Okay then, looks like I'll just have to pick someone at random. Let's see…Okay, Amy, you have the honor of coming to the front and dazzling us with your vocal abilities."

Poor Amy. Her singing wasn't exactly going to make an owner of a record company sit up straight and pay attention. Still, she nervously went to the front and prepared herself for what was coming.

"Oh, yes. One more thing: I suppose the chances are highly unlikely, but one of you wouldn't know how to play a guitar, would you? The song I have in mind would sound so much better with a guitar instead of a piano. Well? Anyone?"

Rosette couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Her brain was kicking into overdrive at the sound of those words. It was just too perfect, too good to miss. An evil little smile appeared on her face. This was going to be _so_ good.

Quick as a flash, Rosette raised her hand, catching Mr. Steiner's attention. "Yes, Rosette? Would you like to try your hand at the guitar?"

"No, Mr. Steiner, but I know someone who wouldn't mind."

Chrono knew something was up. Something about all of this didn't seem right to him.

"_Where is she going with this? Hmm...Wait! She wouldn't!" _

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"Oh, it's someone we all know. This person is really good, really talented. All this person needs is some encouragement."

"_Dammit, don't do it! So help me, I swear you'll regret this until the day you die!"_

Too late. That's when Rosette dropped the bomb.

"Isn't that right, Chrono?"

Boom!

For Chrono it literally felt like the metaphorical bomb had dropped and rocked his world to the very core. He felt the stares of everyone in the room, like it would penetrate him.

"_Damn, I feel exposed now. How am I gonna get myself out of this one?"_

Mr. Steiner interrupted his train of thought. "Why Chrono, I didn't know you played an instrument. You never said anything before."

"Uh…it's not that big a deal. I'm not that good at all. The best I can do is to play a few notes and that's it."

"Nah, he's just being shy, Mr. Steiner. I saw him play myself. He can definitely do more than just a few notes", Rosette said, adding fuel to the fire that was Chrono's anger for her at that moment.

"Well then, Chrono, why don't you grab that guitar over there and show us what you can do?", Mr. Steiner invited him.

Chrono was cornered now. He wanted to think of more reasons why he couldn't go to the front, but all his options were exhausted. By now, the whole class was cheering him on, chanting, "Chrono, Chrono, Chrono!", the whole time.

What else could he do but get the guitar and go to the front? The chanting died down as soon as he stood in front of his "audience", guitar in hand. Mr. Steiner was seated behind the piano while Amy nervously looked on.

"Alright class, as soon as we reach the choir part, you all join in. Now, let's begin."

But Chrono had a plan.

"_If I play my cards right, I can get out of this relatively fast. I just hope my acting skills are up to scratch." _

The song began as Amy nervously began singing her part. Chrono just stood there, feeling a bit sheepish with everyone looking at him expecting him to start playing. But it was all part of his plan. Two minutes into the song, Mr. Steiner asked Amy to stop, then he turned to Chrono, frowning and asking, "Uhm…you can start any time, Chrono. We're all waiting."

"_Yes! Time to put on an Oscar winning performance!"_

Chrono couldn't have planned it better. This was his chance to get himself out of this dilemma. "Uhm…Sir, perhaps I forgot to mention this, but…"

"Yes, Chrono? What is it?"

"I…Man, your all gonna laugh at this, but the truth is…for as long as I can remember, I've been suffering from stage fright."

Like Chrono had thought, it wasn't long before the whole class burst out laughing. And who could blame them? The toughest guy in school just admitted to suffering from stage fright. This wasn't something you see everyday. A few even commented on the situation through the laughter.

"Man, I can't believe this! He's supposed to be so tough! Look at him now!"

"Yeah! Nice going, Rosette! Next time, get your facts straight!"

Rosette, ignoring them for now, was absolutely dumbfounded by how her plan had failed so miserably. She knew something was up. Chrono wasn't looking angry at all. In fact, he looked quite calm, like he was expecting this, as if he had hoped for this to happen…

"_Damn, he saw right through my plan! Man, these people are naïve. I can't believe their actually buying this BS."_

Mr. Steiner made his way to the front to calm everyone down. "Now class, not everyone is comfortable in front a crowd, let's not forget that. It takes real bravery to perform in front of an audience, even for experienced artists. Its okay, Chrono. Be proud that you actually had the courage to come to the front. You too, Amy. If you feel you're not up to it, then you can give me the guitar and go sit down."

"Thanks, Mr. Steiner", Chrono said as he handed him the guitar, trying to look as relieved as his acting skills would allow him. Now Rosette was really questioning the intelligence of those around her.

"_Come on, give me a break. What's going on here? I can understand all these other idiots, but the teacher? Man, that just aint right!"_

When Chrono passed by Rosette, their eyes met for a moment. Chrono was basking in his victory, and his eyes reflected what he was feeling. Yet at the same time, there was something else too. He had the look of someone who was preparing to deal a crushing blow their enemy. A kind of "payback-time" look.

As to what was going on, that's simple to explain. Chrono put on the stage fright act because he knew it was a hit his rep could take. He was even prepared to take the ridicule and laughing. Anything was better than having the truth come out, something he wanted to prevent at all costs. Besides, the way things went in the rumor mill, everyone would have forgotten about it by the end of next week if he was lucky. He was willing to take that chance.

After class was over, Mr. Steiner kept Rosette behind and lectured her on the finer arts of getting her facts straight before she opened her mouth...Needless to say, she was not in the best of moods after that, a fact Joshua noted, automatically telling him to avoid her at all costs if he still wanted to live a long life.

_Wednesday night, Chrono's house…_

Chrono was in the habit of getting his homework done early. Because of this, he was trying out some of the hacking techniques Gus had taught him. But what he really wanted to try out was a handy little program Gus had so graciously provided him.

"Okay Gus, lets see if the hours you spent teaching me the finer arts of hacking actually paid off."

Chrono didn't really make a habit of talking to himself, but sometimes it just slipped out when he wasn't paying attention, or when he was concentrating on something important, like he was doing now.

Chrono was fortunate that his computer was in his room, away from the prying eyes of family members who would not approve of his little "hobby." He was also fortunate that he had a connection to the Internet, without which his hobby wouldn't be possible.

He excitedly slipped the disk with the program on it into his computers CD-ROM drive, then went through the procedure of installing it and setting it up. "I owe you one, Gus. With this little program, no computer in the neighborhood will be safe from me."

The program Chrono had installed actually allowed him to scan for any computers in the immediate area that had an open connection to the Internet. Once he had the location of a computer in his area, it was a simple matter of slipping in. Chrono was feeling lucky tonight, so after he had performed a scan, the program presented a list of possible targets. He picked the first one on the list without thinking about it twice.

"Okay, time to see what we got here. Hope this guy has something worth while to look at."

He opened up another program that would allow him to slip in to his unfortunate target's computer. Remembering what Gus had taught, he managed to get through to the other side with no incidents and the person on the other end was none the wiser.

"Geez, dude, next time give me a challenge. That firewall was too damn easy to get through. If this is all you got, it'll be like taking candy from a baby. Hmm…basic operating system, default settings…just an average home computer."

He dug a little deeper since he wanted to make this worthwhile. He didn't go through all this for nothing. "Got to be something in here worth seeing."

That's when he came across something he didn't notice before. "What? Multiple user profiles? Wait a minute…This profile's name is…Vincent Christopher? Isn't that…? No, can't be. What? Angela Christopher? Okay, this is bizarre. Joshua Christopher? What are all these Christopher's doing in the same place...unless…"

Chrono realized he had literally struck gold. He had actually managed to get inside the computer of the one person who had been a literal thorn in his side the last few weeks. "Man, I am such an idiot! I should have known when I saw "Christopher" it couldn't have been anyone else! How many people do I know with the last name "Christopher"?"

His mind was kicking it into high gear. A million ways of getting revenge on her for the stunt she tried to pull on him was racing through his head. An evil smile formed on his face. "I think I'll go take a look at what little Miss Christopher has in her personal files. Time for a little payback of my own."

Rifling through her user profile revealed a few interesting things. "Looks like she has all her assignments saved in this folder. Hmm…isn't this the book report we had to do for English class? And this looks like the research we had to do for biology class. And this…this is the report we had to do for social studies. And what do you know? If memory serves, they're all due this week. Tomorrow in fact. That gives me an idea."

A few minutes later, Chrono sat back and admired his handiwork. "She's in for a hell of a surprise. Sometimes, I amaze even myself. Oh yeah, I am a genius, a friggin' genius."

_That same night, the Christopher house…_

"Ok Joshua, get of the computer, it's my turn now."

"But I've been waiting all week to for a chance to talk to my friends on _Myspace_. Come on sis, have a heart."

"Are you so pathetic that you have to make friends online?"

"Now that's not fair, sis."

"Listen to yourself. You're probably never gonna meet these people in real life anyway, so quit whining and get off the computer so I can put the finishing touches on my assignments."

"Fine, but next time I get a longer turn."

"Whatever. Now come on, get out of here."

After Joshua had left for his room, Rosette sat down to fine-tune her reports before she printed them out. "Ok, just have put in this and this…edit this a little bit…there, all done. Now to print it out."

Chrono's little surprise was about to hit her where it would do the most damage…

The moment she wanted to print out her assignments, the computer suddenly stopped responding to her input. "Huh? What's going on? Come on, you stupid machine, work already!"

Her frustration got worse when out of the blue, the computer displayed an error message.

"What the…error encountered? Please reset your computer? OK, then, whatever you say."

Big mistake. When the computer had restarted and she was logged in again, she went to print out her assignments only to find that every single one had mysteriously disappeared. She found herself frowning and wondering where it had all gone. "This can't be right. It was all here before. It couldn't just disappear without a trace. Gotta be somewhere around here."

Her search was all in vain, no matter where she looked her assignments were nowhere to be found. Her level of panic was slowly rising as she searched and searched but still wound up with nothing. "NO! This can't be happening! Those assignments are due tomorrow! It took me weeks to do the research! Dammit, what am I gonna do now?"

She thought of possible suspects, anyone with enough of a motive to do something like this. The only one she could think of was her brother. "Yeah, he's definitely got motive to do it. He knows a lot more about computers than I do. Who else would it be? Right, that little punk is gonna pay for this!"

Joshua had no idea what was coming. He was still in his room minding his own business when Rosette nearly kicked his door down. Joshua thought his heart would jump out of his chest from the shock. "Friggin' hell sis, don't ever do that to me again! What's the big idea anyway?"

"Spill it, you little punk! I know you sabotaged the computer!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't know anything about any sabotage."

"You're a poor liar, Joshua, always have been and always will be. Now talk or I'll be forced to get nasty on your ass!"

While all this was going on, Joshua found himself backed into a corner. Any chance for escape had been eliminated. He had no idea what could've made his sister so mad at him, but somehow she thought he was responsible for it. "Sis, calm down already! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're only making it worse for yourself, you little rat! Now I'm not gonna say this again! Talk or else!"

Joshua almost thought he saw his life flashing by in front of him. There was no way out. This was it…

"Sis, just listen to me! I had nothing to do with any sabotage!"

"You asked for it. Prepare to die!"

Joshua closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. Just then, a familiar voice came to his rescue. "What's going on here, you two?"

Joshua slowly opened his eyes and for a moment, he thought he saw an angel coming to take him away.

"_Am I…dead? Damn, that was fast! Rosette must been really mad to get it over with that quick."_

What he actually saw was his mother standing in the doorway, looking at them with a frown on her face. He snapped back to reality and saw his sister's fist was merely inches from his face. He shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if his mother hadn't shown up when she did. "Mom, I am so glad to see you! Please, you gotta talk to Rosette. She thinks I sabotaged the computer or something. I don't know anything about it, but she won't listen to me."

"Stop lying, Joshua! You're the only one who could've done it! No one in this house knows as much about computers as you do!"

"Now listen here, you two! Calm down! Rosette, get off your brother and explain what's going on", Rosette's mother demanded. As soon as Rosette let go and Joshua was free, they took turns explaining.

"Rosette, you can't just blame your brother if you don't have proof. If he says he didn't do it, then I believe him and so should you."

"But mom, it took me weeks to do the research for those projects. I didn't come this far to have some stupid prank ruin it all."

"I can understand your point, dear, but accusing Joshua of something he didn't do wasn't the right way to approach the situation."

"But who else could've have done it, mom?"

"I don't know. My knowledge of computers isn't that good either."

Amidst the discussion, Rosette's father showed up in the doorway. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, not really. We were just trying to clear up a misunderstanding, that's all, dear."

"Well, after you're done with the kids, Rosette should come to the computer. I just checked our e-mail and there's a message for her."

"OK, I'll be down in a minute, Dad."

A few minutes later, after the whole misunderstanding had been cleared up, Rosette checked the message her father said she received. "Strange, it doesn't say who it's from… "Open this file for a surprise?" What's up with this? I know Joshua said I shouldn't open stuff in e-mails…but I just have to know what this is about…Here I go...huh?"

What she saw in front of her was a picture of a snake bearing its fangs, ready to strike and underneath was writing that said, "Mess with the viper and you get the fangs."

She didn't know what to make of this. "OK, this scores a 10 on the weirdness scale. What kind of a sick person would send me this? I don't even like snakes. Unless…the person who sent me this…is also the one responsible for making my projects disappear…DAMMIT, MY PROJECTS! They're all due tomorrow! There's no way I redo it all in one night! It took me this long to get if finished. If I ever get my hands on the slimy S.O.B who did this to me, he'll wish he was never born after I'm done with him!"

If only she knew…

_The next day, Eden High…_

No matter how Rosette tried to explain about her assignments, none of the teachers who had assigned them the assignments in the first place would listen to her pleas. Every single one of them always asked, "You did remember to backup your files, right?"

To which she had to answer, "No."

The result was that she had enough detention to last her until Friday. Her anger for the person who caused her all this pain and agony didn't make the situation easier. Chrono, on the other hand, was smiling all the way. He would finally have some peace and quiet every afternoon until Friday instead of having Rosette follow him home every time.

"_Oh yeah, I am a genius, a friggin' genius."_

Later that day at their lockers, Rosette's foul mood was evident to all. Any one walking by might think they had entered the Twilight Zone or something since the whole picture was wrong: Rosette was in a bad mood and Chrono was actually smiling for once. Some severe role reversal was going on here.

Rosette had noticed Chrono's pleasant disposition and wondered how he could be smiling when she was so pissed off. "What are you smiling about?", she asked out of the blue. She tried to close her locker but instead in her anger she slammed the locker door so hard it nearly fell of its hinges.

"What, I can't smile for once?", Chrono responded, acting as innocently as he could.

"I never said you couldn't, but you wouldn't be smiling for nothing. Something's up. Just remember, I'm watching you."

"As if I could forget. Come on, chill out. It's a beautiful day."

"Don't start with me. I'm a girl on the edge."

"Whatever. Be that way if you want."

Her mind was still occupied with the mysterious person who erased her assignments and the freaky e-mail afterwards. If it wasn't her brother, who was it then? Who else had motive beside Joshua? And just why was Chrono so out of character all of a sudden? Call it a hunch, but something didn't add up here.

"_But…what if it was…yeah, it's a possibility. He's got a computer and motive. Knowing him, he would try to get revenge on me for the stunt I pulled in music class. Yeah…it's all making sense now! It has to be him!" _

Chrono was about to finish with his business at his locker when Rosette turned to him, staring angrily. "I know it was you."

"Huh? What are you talking about? What did I do this time?"

"Do the words,"Mess with the viper and you get the fangs," mean anything to you?"

"Nope. What's this about anyway?"

"Admit it, you're the one who sabotaged my assignments. Oh yeah, it's written all over your face!"

"Then I suggest you yourself glasses or something, 'cause your seeing wrong."

"Stop lying! I know you have a computer and you have a motive!"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know that much about computers anyway, I would even know where to start."

"Oh no, you're getting out of this one that easy!"

"Ask yourself this: can you prove it was me? What evidence do you have that points me out as the guilty party?"

"Well…I don't… have anything solid…"

"If you can't prove it was me, then this discussion is over. Have a nice time in detention."

With that, he locked his locker and went on his way, leaving Rosette behind even more confused. But he had a point too: nothing was going to erase the fact that she had two days worth of detention.

Needless to say, Chrono had peace and quiet that afternoon as he walked home, smiling all the way and congratulating himself on his own brilliance.

_Friday, late afternoon, the old gym at Eden High…_

The old gym had always been used for events like school dances, and this time was no exception. Looking at it from the inside and how it was decorated you'd never think it was ever a gym. People were starting to arrive and a party mood was in the air. Among those who had arrived was Rosette and Joshua. This was to be their first dance at the new school.

"So when's your girlfriend getting here?"

"Azmaria will be here. She might run a little late, that's all. And for the last time, we're only good friends, sis!"

"Coulda fooled me."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Nothing, bro. Just chill out. Geez, can't even joke around with you anymore."

"You don't see me laughing, do you?"

"Whatever."

Unlike most dances where evening dress was the dress code, the theme for this dance was casual wear. The actual aim of the dance was to welcome all the new students since Rosette and Joshua were not the only new students to arrive that semester.

Rosette really wasn't one for dancing but she came nonetheless since the student body went to all the trouble of arranging everything in the first place.

_Meanwhile, at Gus's apartment…_

Gus and Chrono were gearing up for Operation D.D.T.A.A, which stood for Dance Destruction through Audio Assault. However, they both agreed it was too clumsy, so they shortened it to D.D, or double D.

They made sure they had everything they needed before Chrono went on his mission. That was about half an hour ago.

By now he was already at the school, sneaking around like a makeshift spy, armed with Gus's laptop and one half of the walkie-talkies they would use for communication. Gus's apartment was only two blocks away from the school so they would have no problem with reception.

Chrono's target was the gym that just happened to be the one being used for the dance, thus necessitating his stealthy manner. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted on his way to the scene of the crime even if no crime had been committed yet.

What he didn't know was that Rosette stepped outside the gym to take in some fresh air. The atmosphere was getting a bit heavy inside. Nothing was wrong with the music or anything, but she still had a sneaking suspicion that a certain red-eyed, violet haired teen was the one responsible for the situation she found herself in two days ago.

"_The problem is, I don't have any proof so I can't exactly accuse him of something I can't prove he may or may not have done. Whoever did it was a real pro. He sure put a lot of effort into covering his tracks. But why would a hacker even bother with a normal home computer when there are bigger targets out there? And why would an average hacker bother with my files and leave everything else intact? Oh man, my head's hurting from all this thinking. I'll just go back inside." _

She turned around to go back inside when she though her eyes were playing tricks on her. She could've sworn she saw Chrono of all people disappear around the corner of the gym.

"Couldn't be. If I know him like I think I do, he'd never show up here. He'd rather commit suicide than show himself here. OK, that's it, no more late nights for me."

Thinking nothing else of it, she went back inside, but in the back of her mind she still wondered…

For Chrono, that was too much of a close call. He reprimanded himself for nearly being seen by the last person he wanted to be seen by.

"_Next time, keep your damn eyes open! Charging in is just gonna get you caught!"_

His walkie-talkie came to life suddenly. Gus was on the other end, curious as to Chrono's progress so far. "This is Papa Bear to Crouching Tiger, come in Crouching Tiger, over."

"Yeah, this is Chrono. I thought we talked about the whole spy thing and the codenames, Gus."

"Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes. So, how're you doing out there?"

"I'm close to the target. Not much longer now. I'll keep you updated as I go along."

"Roger that, Papa Bear out."

Chrono shook his head; if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Gus would never change. Chrono liked that in a person. The more predictable a person is, the more you can trust him not to turn his back on you. That was Chrono's philosophy, whether it was true or not didn't matter to him.

Chrono stuffed everything he had in his hands into his backpack and started climbing the ladder that led to the roof. What he was looking for was up there…

_Meanwhile, inside the gym…_

The dance was already in full swing, party music filled the air, and people were gathering on the floor to show off their moves. Even Joshua and Azmaria, who had finally arrived, were enjoying themselves. Rosette, however, was content with being a wallflower tonight. None of the single guys really interested her. Not that she was shy or anything, she just didn't feel like dancing tonight. I think by now we all know what was bothering her…

The music changed to a more slower paced, yet suggestive one. Even Rosette had to admit she wasn't exactly fond of this kind of music. The couples on the floor didn't seem to mind, though.

As if it had been planned that way, suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway, making its way into the gym. Every male teen turned to look, and consequently more than a few jaws were dropping. The figure belonged to a tall red-head with some very well-endowed "assets", to put it that way. She was wearing a top with a low neckline and a skirt that barely managed to cover the essentials. Oh yeah, this girl was hot stuff and she knew it. She made her way to the punch table and, flashing a seductive smile, asked, "Isn't anyone going to offer me a drink?"

Every teen male within earshot literally fell over themselves to be the first one to get this rarest of beauties a drink and earn her favor in the process. A few of them were so eager that they left their dates high and dry. Now doubt they'd be single before the night was over if their dates had anything to say about it.

Rosette was observing it all with utter disgust. "Typical males. This doesn't help anything to disprove that guys don't just think about one thing all the time. And who does she think she is? Sure, she looks like a supermodel, but does she have to wear _that_? She's not helping the image of women at all. Man, the whole thing just makes me sick."

Joshua and Azmaria had just come of the floor to take a break so they joined Rosette. Joshua was one of the very few who wasn't wowed by the red-head's charms but he was still curious to know who she was. He noticed Rosette was looking like she had swallowed rotten milk or something. "What's up with the face, sis?"

She pointed her head in the direction of the punch table and merely said, "Check that out."

"Oh, that. So Azmaria, are you gonna enlighten me or am I gonna have to guess who she is?"

"You mean you don't know? Are you serious?"

"Uh, yeah. So don't leave me hanging, who is she?"

"She the one and only Satella Havenheit, heir to the Havenheit business empire and part-time fashion model. You really mean you didn't know?"

"Havenheit? Isn't that the name of the company who has that manufacturing plant outside town that practically provides the whole town with jobs?"

"The one and the same. She's the richest and most popular girl in school, and also a senior. Her father is the current president of Havenheit Industries, and believe me, they don't know the end of their riches. I think her grandfather started the company after he emigrated from Germany to the U.S after the Second World War."

"Then if she's so rich, why's she attending a normal high school? I thought these rich types have tutors or something like that."

"I don't know. Maybe she wanted to see what average high school life was all about. I suppose she had her reasons, and it's obvious she had no problem fitting in here."

"But if she's a student here, why haven't I seen her around that much?"

"Because she's been modeling the latest fashions in Milan since about two weeks ago."

"A real globetrotter, huh?"

"She's been about everywhere her money could take her. But don't let the pretty face fool you, she's smart, really smart. She's not one of those little rich princesses with a major in daddy's money and a minor in everything else. Since she got here, she's been at the top of her class. She's got her head screwed on right, which is a good thing if she wants to run one of the largest companies in the world one day. Even when she's been away from school, modeling some famous designers' fashions, she keeps her grades up. If you ask me, she's destined for great things."

"Yeah right", Rosette muttered after being quite for so long.

"You say something, sis?"

"Nah, it's nothing. I think I'm gonna head to the girl's locker room. I can't stand being in here. Must be all the hormones stinking up the air."

After Rosette had left, Azmaria turned to Joshua and asked, slightly baffled, "What's up with your sister?"

"Oh, ignore her. She's been like this since yesterday. Long story."

"Oh well. Hey, you wanna go dance again?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

As they walked to the dance floor, Joshua found himself holding hands with the young Azmaria, and he had to admit, he liked it.

"_I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship."_

In the meantime, Rosette was facing her reflection in one the mirrors in the girl's locker room. What she was seeing being reflected back was the grumpy look she had all night. Her reflection was also perfect for venting her frustration on, so she let rip with everything she had.

"Man, can you believe her? That red-headed bimbo, that…what was her name again? Oh yeah, Satella. Coming in here all dressed up like that. Wouldn't surprise me if one of her ex-boyfriends got lucky one time. She's practically wearing a slut's uniform, for crying out loud! She gives women everywhere a bad name. Makes me sick all over again."

She was still carrying on her rant when a female voice interrupted her, asking, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Without even bothering to look up, Rosette responded, "Sure, come on in."

The person made herself comfortable at the sink next to Rosette's. "Some party, eh?"

"As if. I mean, did you check out that red-head bimbo? I can't stand her kind!"

"Oh? Why not?"

"Did you see what she was wearing? I'm surprised that something hasn't popped out yet. And she'd better not bend over with that skirt she's wearing. It barely manages to cover anything up. And don't get me started on how the guys are all going nuts over her. They're all after one thing, and it doesn't take rocket science to figure out what that is. And another thing-"

She turned her head to face the other person but the moment she did she was unable to finish that sentence. It turned out the person she was talking to was none other than Satella herself!

There was silence for a second or two, then Satella finished her business at the sink, turned to face Rosette, then said, "If you have a problem with me, blondie, then at least have the guts to say it to my face instead of talking to a mirror."

Rosette didn't have to be told twice. She came up with a response soon enough. She was looking for a fight and this was her opportunity to vent her feelings on someone real instead of a reflection that couldn't talk back.

"You bet I have a problem! Look at you! No wonder the world doesn't take women seriously yet! What are they supposed to think of us when there are women like you living up to their perverted fantasies?"

"I happen to be comfortable like this, and just because I dress a certain way doesn't mean I am a certain way. Get over your insecurities before it comes back to bite you. If I want to dress like this, who are you to tell me I can't? Get to know me before you judge me, and if you don't like what I wear, then to hell with you! Now, if you'll excuse me."

Satella, having said her piece, spun around and walked out. Rosette, however, hadn't quite finished yet, and shouted, "You too, you German witch!"

She had to admit however, that having the fight with Satella didn't really help erase the fact that she was just having a bad week. Now she even went so far as to make an enemy out of the richest girl in school.

"Huh? What's that sound? Sounds like its coming from the roof."

The locker room was significantly quieter than the rest of the building, so she definitely thought she heard something. It sounded like footsteps, as if someone was walking around on the roof of the building. (The roof happened to made of several plates of steel combined together, so any sound coming from there could be easily heard if it was quiet enough.)

Rosette however, had enough. As soon as she could get Joshua out of there, they were

going home. Speaking of the roof…

_Present time, on the roof of the gym…_

Chrono had found his target and was busy setting up everything he needed. While he was doing this, he was talking with Gus. "Okay Gus, I'm at the target. Just give me a few more minutes and we're all set to go."

"Man, I have to commend you for coming up with this, me amigo. Finding out about the antenna on the roof was a stroke of genius. It'll make things a lot easier than the way we used to do it."

"Especially if that antenna is a wireless access point that I can use to get inside the network while all these other idiots are enjoying themselves. If everything goes to plan, they won't be doing that for much longer. Good thing your laptop has the capability to communicate wirelessly. And Gus, for the love of Mike, turn of the Mission Impossible music in the background!"

"Man, I can't even get into the spirit of things with you breaking me down."

"Gus, this is hardly something worthy of a real spy's attention. This is just a simple job, in and out. Now back me up here, G-man, I'm goin' in. Time to crash this party."

Chrono's fingers literally flew over the keyboard as he did what was nearly second nature to him now, thanks to Gus's extensive training.

"Same old firewall, same old security, same way of getting past both. These guys are gluttons for punishment, they never learn. How many more times am I gonna have to crack their system before they get the hint?"

He soon found himself at the center of the network, from where he could go anywhere he wanted. His destination was the computer being used for the dance so he could begin his work of interrupting the flow of this particular party.

"Gotcha. The music is still in the same folder like last time. Now for a few substitutions. They won't now what hit them."

Everyone was still dancing and enjoying themselves when the music suddenly stopped out of the blue. As a result, voices were raised in protest.

"Hey, what's goin' on? Where'd the music go?"

"I was still dancing here! What happened to the song?"

"What kind of an idiot DJ are we dealing with here? Bring back the tunes, man!"

What they were expecting was the music they had been listening to. What they got, however, shattered their expectations when a distorted voice started speaking over the speakers, which was actually a recording Gus and Chrono had made especially for this occasion.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman," the mysterious voice spoke, "Now I understand you were expecting some of your good old pop-rock or whatever the trash is you all listen to. Allow me to take you to new musical frontiers that will speak to your soul and open your mind to new possibilities. Allow me to take you to my world. Enter if you dare. Now, sit back and enjoy."

The "voice" finished with some maniacal laughter before the little surprise Chrono had arranged pounced on the ears of the unsuspecting partygoers. Soon the gym was filled with some of the heaviest heavy metal and death metal Gus and Chrono could find. For added effect, Chrono cranked up the volume to make it even worse.

On the roof, Chrono was still observing and relaying what he saw to Gus.

"So? Is it working?"

"Oh yeah, believe me, it's working alright. You should've been here to see it. A few of them are even bolting out of here like frightened rabbits. This might be the best hack we've ever pulled, Gus."

"Don't hang around too long, though. You don't want to get caught after coming this far. Let me know as soon as you get out of there."

"Sure thing, Gus. Chrono out."

_Meanwhile, in the gym…_

Confusion was at the order of the day as people left the dance to escape the noise. So much for the student body's careful planning. Everyone who went to complain to the DJ got the same answer: he couldn't do anything because he'd been locked out of the computer from the outside. Soon the rumor went around that the "phantom" had struck yet again, and what made it all the more stranger was that he never had a voice before. But today, he spoke for the first time.

Rosette wasn't yet clued up about what was going in so as soon as she found her, she asked Azmaria what the hell was happening. "This happens every time the school has a dance. Someone or something manages to spoil everything every time. Rumors are going around that some or other "phantom" is causing the disturbance every time, like there's a curse or something. I don't believe any of it personally, but no proof has been found connecting anyone to any of this yet."

Rosette thought back a bit and remembered seeing Chrono skulking around just before the dance began. Or was it her imagination? Be that as it may, there were also the footsteps on the roof she couldn't explain. She suddenly had a hunch she couldn't explain…

"Joshua, you'd better phone dad and ask him to come pick us up. Here, here use my phone. There's something I have to go check out, so get going."

"But sis, where are you going? What's so important that you have to check it now?"

"Look, don't worry about me. Now get out of here, I'll catch up to you."

She followed her hunch and looked for a way that someone could use to gain access to the roof of the building. She found the ladder on the other end of the building and started climbing it, hoping she would find something up there, or at least someone.

Chrono was unaware of anyone coming up the ladder. He was packing up his gear since most of the people who had come to the dance had left already.

"Okay, Gus, I'll be back at your place in ten minutes, I think. I'm packing up 'cause nobody's left here anyway, they all ran."

"Okay, see you back here in ten. Just remember, don't take any chances and stay out of sight."

"Will do. Chrono out."

The static from the walkie-talkie died as soon Gus was done talking. He stuffed it into his backpack, made sure he had everything, then walked to the ladder like he didn't have a care in the world.

Halfway to the ladder he stopped dead in his tracks. He saw someone climbing on the roof via the ladder. He felt the sweat forming on his face; his only escape had been cut off. There was no other way out. What made it worse was that he made out the person who was on the roof with him.

"_DAMMIT! It's her! What gave her the idea to come up here, anyway!? Never mind that, I gotta find a way out of this before the jig is up! If she identifies me, she'll go tell Principal Valentine come Monday and it'll be all over for me!"_

By now Rosette was on the roof proper and spotted the other person, however she couldn't identify him or her since they were too far away. "Hey you, stay right there! Don't move an inch!"

Chrono wasn't just going to let himself be caught that easily. _"Like hell I will."_

He turned around and ran in the other direction with Rosette hot on the pursuit.

"_Whoever it is, they won't get far. It's a straight drop down where they're headed."_

Which was quite true. Chrono's sprint came to a screeching halt since he had run out of roof to run on. He looked over the edge and was greeted by the hard ground staring back at him.

"NO! It won't end like this! There has to be a way out. Think, Chrono, think."

He didn't have a lot of time to think; Rosette was getting closer by the second. "Hey you, hold it right there!"

Then Chrono did the craziest thing he had ever done: he jumped.

Rosette couldn't believe her eyes. Who in the world would be crazy enough to jump from this height? We're talking about a possible broken neck here or worse!

She leaned over the edge, and to add to her amazement, the suspect had literally disappeared into thin air! "That's impossible! How did…what the…I…I…"

Chrono was fortunate the dumpsters were there and that they were filled with enough trash bags to break his fall. If they hadn't been there, his career as an underground hacker would've over before it even had a chance to really take off. He climbed out of the dumpster he fell in just in time to make it out of there before Rosette could see who he was. Now he was on his way to Gus's place, hoping against hope that Gus's laptop had survived the fall.

_Later that night, the Christopher house…_

Rosette was contemplating the events of a few hours before, trying to remember any distinguishing feature of the suspect that could be used to identify him or her. She remembered the suspect having long hair but that could be any number of people. She also thought the suspect had violet hair but she couldn't be sure. Eventually, she gave up and went to bed. The whole ordeal had tired her out. She would solve this mystery another day.

Chrono informed Gus of what had transpired, and Gus was none too happy to hear Chrono nearly got caught. However, this was only the first time and he promised Gus it would be the last. After that, he went home and headed for his bed, just as tired as Rosette was.

Monday would bring its own set of challenges and obstacles…

I hope you all enjoyed this 'cause it took me long enough to get this chapter done as it is. Something I want to clear up, I didn't mean to offend any users of It was never my aim or objective. It just popped into my head so I used it. It sounded good at the time.

Anyway, I haven't really got much to say this time around. You'll probably notice the lack of music, but I still hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Also, any ideas you have for future chapters would be welcome. None of this would be possible without your support.

So, you know what to do if you want to see this fic continue.

Until then, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off and wishing you a Happy New Year once again…


	9. The Girl Next Door Part 9

Author's note: Okay, I suspect that there are some of you out there that possibly want to see me die a slow and agonizing death for making you wait this long, am I right? Just remember, if you kill me, then who's going to finish this fic?

Honestly, I don't know why I take so long to get from one chapter to the next. I suspect it could be a combination of low motivation, the pastime known as gaming which takes up so much of my time, and pure damnable laziness. Also, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, 'coz the Hawk has to study for a course he's doing at the moment, so I can't make any promises as to when to expect the next chapter.

I would have thought someone would have said something about Satella's introduction into the fic, but even if no one did that's fine by me. To Dragoon-Yue I just want to say: my apologies if I made Rosette sound like a dumb blonde. It wasn't my intention at all. Rest assured, I'll try to avoid it from now on.

Also, I'm glad if I made a few of you laugh along the way. That's just means I'm doing my job right!

So lets get down to why you're all here: here's chapter 9, hope you enjoy it!

The Girl Next Door

Part 9

Nothing much happened after the disastrous dance on Friday night. For the next few days, neither Rosette nor Chrono pulled any stunts to provoke the other into retaliation. Everything was back to the old status quo.

Chrono still wished she would stop being his second shadow. The whole thing was starting to wear a little thin. He found that his patience was slowly declining the longer it went on. Something had to change.

One afternoon, after Chrono had just come home from school, the phone in the hall rang. Being the closest, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Nice to hear you answering the phone instead of your aunt."

"Been a long time, Shader."

"Sure has. How're things over in Eden?"

"Just like they've always been. Not much going on."

"What would you say if I told you things were gonna get a little more exciting in that sleepy little town?"

"I'm listening."

"It just so happens that yours truly is taking a break from university life for a few weeks. I'm so far ahead with my studies that they actually insisted I take two weeks off."

"You're actually two weeks ahead?"

"Sure am. What can I say, if you've got it, use it."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were the smartest person I've ever met."

"Anyways, to get back to what I was saying. I reckoned that since I'll really be doing nothing in those two weeks anyway, I should get out a bit, see what the world has to offer me. I've never been to New York and I've always wanted to see the landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. So I thought that since I'm gonna be in that area, I could drop in and visit you. Eden isn't that far from New York, right?"

"About half an hour if you take the highway. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again."

"Same here. It'll be like old times. I also hope to meet all the friends you've made."

"Friends?"

"That's what I said. What's wrong? You sound nervous all of a sudden."

"Oh, its nothing."

"You have made at least one new friend, right?"

"Oh yeah, I've got plenty of friends. Hell, the whole town knows me by now!"

"That's great! See, I told you, not everybody was like you-know-who."

"So when are you expecting to arrive in New York?"

"Give or take a week or so, and don't worry about where I'll be staying. I have a cousin in New York and she said it'll be fine if I stayed with her."

"Hope to see you soon, Shader."

"You too."

They said their goodbyes and none too soon. If it had gone on like that, Shader might have figured out Chrono was lying.

This was a fine mess he had gotten himself into. He didn't have any friends in Eden to speak of save for Gus, but Chrono doubted if Shader would approve of him. He didn't like lying to her, nor did she like being lied to, but he didn't think there was anything else he could've said.

"_I'll just have to tell her the truth when she gets here. I'll have to make her understand that no matter what, I'm not changing. Don't know how she'll take it, but it has to be done. I have a say in what I want to do with my life, she'll just have to understand."_

_Meanwhile, the Christopher house… _

Joshua and Azmaria were discussing the situation between Rosette and Chrono, and both agreed something had to be done about it. The situation had to change drastically. But what could be done to affect the change?

"I'm fresh out of ideas, Azmaria. Rosette can be a little overbearing sometimes, like when she believes strongly in something. She just won't stop until she accomplishes what she set out to do."

"Yeah, I kinda noticed. Too bad she doesn't notice that it's the worst thing she could have done."

"Why's that?"

"Rosette is doing exactly what Chrono wants her to do. Okay, what I mean is that Chrono uses violence to solve his problems most of the time. Rosette is challenging him, provoking him. She's entering his comfort zone, it's where he feels safe. It's the only way he knows to deal with problems. She's trying to play this game by her rules, and that's where she's wrong. So far, both of them have been playing this game on Chrono's turf using his rules and terms, and he knows it all too well. What Rosette needs is a new game plan."

"You can say that again, Azmaria. Just what does she think she's trying to do?"

"They're both pretty stubborn, I'll give them that. This is a fight neither of them will win."

"Which is why we're here today. If they won't stop this insanity by themselves, then we'll just have to do it for them. So, any ideas?"

"No, can't think of any. You do know, Joshua, that you're taking a big risk?"

"Risk? What risk?"

"What if we do figure out something, and it doesn't work? What if it just makes things worse? Then you'll have both your sister and Chrono on your back. Are you ready to face that?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Joshua before. Having Rosette hunt him down was already was bad enough, but getting it from both sides was twice as bad. He nearly let out a gulp, but he suppressed the urge to do so, since he didn't want to look like a coward in front of Azmaria.

"Well, it that's what it takes, then yeah, I guess I am willing to go through with it."

"You don't have to act brave in front of me, Joshua. I know how scary your sister can be."

"_DAMN! How does she do that? So much for trying to look brave in front of her!"_

Azmaria giggled when she saw the expression on Joshua's face. "Really Joshua, you don't have to prove anything to me."

"I…wasn't trying to prove anything to you. I'm just an ordinary guy, who has to go up against the devil woman that is his sister, and a guy who talks calmly about doing horrible stuff to people. The odds are not in my favor, in fact, the damn dice are loaded if you ask me."

"Not if you have me to help out, Joshua. Remember, it's not always the strongest person who wins. Think ahead, and you have half the battle won."

"Thanks, Azmaria. But if you don't mind me asking, what's your interest in this? I know you came over because I asked you to, but you have to be getting something out of this too."

"I guess I like to play the part of peacemaker. I can't stand conflict between people when there should be none. Rosette and Chrono are both too pig-headed too put a stop to it, so outside interference is needed whether they want it or not."

"Is that all?"

"Okay, you got me. Chrono…well, what can I say. He's such a big mystery to everyone around here. Deep down, I believe he can change for the better if he really wants to, in fact, nothing would make me happier than seeing him as he really is. The Chrono we know now is not the real Chrono, that's just a face he puts on for the outside world. This will probably sound unlikely, but I think your sister may be the one to make him break down the walls he's put up around himself."

"What? Are you serious? This is Rosette we're talking about here."

"Believe me, I know. But she is the first person to have a conversation with him that lasted longer than a minute, and she's also the first to take the time to find out more about him. She's not scared of him like everyone else at school is. Normally, everyone is scared off by his reputation and the lonely tough guy look he has on his face the whole time. Rosette, on the other hand, has thrown caution to the wind in every respect. That's why I think she might be the one to actually make a difference in his life."

"And I thought you said I was taking a risk."

"Maybe", Azmaria said as she smiled gently, "but some risks are worth taking if there's even a slight chance."

_The next day, Eden High…_

Everything was very much the same. The usual crowds were all doing their thing, and all was right with the world. Rosette was still being herself, following Chono around just like she promised him all those weeks ago. Chrono, being himself, did his best to ignore it even though it did annoy him greatly.

As usual, when recess finally came, Chrono sat at his bench with Rosette right beside him. The whole school knew about this by now, and people were talking about why Rosette would crazy enough to even attempt what she was attempting.

Unbeknownst to Chrono, Rosette had been doing inquiries about the mysterious violet haired youth around the school. For all the information gathering skills he possessed, even the friendly neighborhood "information trafficker", Tony Anderson, didn't have much on Chrono. In Tony's words, "He's one tough cookie to crack. What makes it harder is that this cookie fights back."

She did find out about the day when he first arrived at Eden High. When Mr. Remington introduced Chrono to his new classmates, the only thing Chrono had to say was a simple "Hi". No more, no less. That was also when they came to know that penetrating stare, the lips that never smiled, almost always locked in a grimace.

Everyone who tried to welcome him to the school was quickly scared off by that very look on his face. A few brave souls who tried to have a conversation with him quickly ran for all they were worth after what Chrono had said to them. They were the unfortunate ones who found out just how sharp his tongue can be given half a chance.

That first week was also when he first proved how dangerous it can be for your health if you ever made the mistake of underestimating him. A local bully and his goon squad made it a tradition to "welcome" any newcomers to the school with their own twisted sense of hospitality. The leader of the gang was the one who ended up with a black eye, broken nose, and a bruised ego. The rest of his "pathetic posse" (Chrono's own words) didn't escape his attention either. They ended up the same as their leader had. After that day, their "tradition" had all but been broken, and once again it was safe for any newcomers on their first day too.

That's when the rumors started. Because no one could even have a conversation with him, all they had to go on was guesses and speculation.

Rosette also found out that more than a fair number of the opposite gender had tried to gain his affections, all to no avail. The general consensus among the female students was that Chrono was a handsome young man, and many of them admitted to having had a crush on him in the past. But none of them would even dare approach him, not the way he was now. Case in point: a girl who was interested in Chrono approached him, but despite her best efforts at flirting, the boy just wouldn't bite on the proverbial bait she was throwing his way. To her detriment, she kept on pursuing her objective which only served to annoy him even further. When he could take no more, he let loose a torrent of verbal abuse that had the poor girl crying as she ran.

But for all his antisocial behavior, he did help out a lot of people in need. Stories of those who were saved by Chrono at the last minute from a beating by a bully or other unpleasant element came forward. Those people she spoke with had a very high opinion of Chrono, for obvious reasons.

So in a nutshell, this is what she found out: he's antisocial, yet willing to help if someone was in trouble, very unpredictable as a result, and quick to violence if pushed too far. Unfortunately, it wasn't anything didn't know already. It had all just been a waste of time.

A strange incident earlier that week came to mind. A new student had arrived in Mr. Remington's class, a boy of Mexican descent called Pablo Ramirez. After the introductions were over, he went to his seat, passing Chrono on the way. Rosette noticed that Pablo, when he laid eyes on Chrono, started sweating and shaking suddenly, and had a look in his eyes like he had just seen a ghost. Under his breath, she heard him mutter "_Oh dios mio!" _

At recess, she approached him and asked him what that was all about. Pablo was not willing to say much. What he did say did not make sense to her. "Hey man, that dude is one dangerous_ vato_! Stay away from him, man! That _vato_ is _loco_ I tell you! He's da killer of a hundred! Back in da day, everybody called him "El Diablo!"

More than that, he was not willing to say. The only thing she could make of it was that somewhere in the past, Pablo and Chrono crossed paths, which made sense if you take into account that both Chrono and Pablo once lived in New York.

These were her thoughts as she sat beside Chrono at recess. Needless to say, Chrono was not very talkative. His MP3 player was all the company he needed.

Rosette, however, wanted to continue her investigations by going to the source itself. She was determined to get a few answers out of him whether he liked it or not. She had a plan to get his attention, however. She thought Chrono would've learned not to take his attention of his possessions by now.

When he wasn't looking, she bent over and pressed the stop button on the device. Almost immediately, Chrono took the earphones out of his ears and turned to face her. "Do that again, and I won't be responsible for what I do."

Keeping up her pose, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to know why the new guy is so scared of you, would you?"

"Got no idea."

"Doesn't the name Pablo Ramirez ring a bell? He used to live in New York, and so did you. Could you two have crossed paths, maybe?"

"Like I said, I don't know who the guy is, and frankly, I don't care."

"You know what, that's your problem, you've never cared."

"Spare me."

"Not this time. I got a few questions and you just happen to have the answers."

"I thought I told you before what I thought of you and your questions. Now get out of my face."

"Is it that hard for you to spend a few minutes in someone else's company? You know you can't get rid of me, and you know why."

"You know what? I also have something to say. Wanna hear it?"

"Go ahead."

"Go to hell."

Rosette had enough of Chrono's attitude. All she wanted was to speak to him in a civilized manner, but even that was impossible with him. What Chrono didn't know was that at moments like these, she was impulsive and as a result, she would do the first thing that came to mind.

"Okay, that's it! I've just about had it with you! What the hell is your problem?"

"You wanna know what my problem is? You are. Happy now?", Chrono said as he smirked. He really didn't care if she was mad or not. In fact, he was hoping that she would get so mad that she would stop following him around for good. It would have quite the opposite effect…

"Well, since I can't talk to you like a civilized human being, I'll just have to talk a language you understand!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Simple: If it's gonna take a fight to get you to talk, then so be it! Come on, tough guy, let's get it on!"

She raised her fists and stood at the ready to begin the brawling. The sight of Rosette standing there trying to look serious with her fists in the air like that made Chrono burst out into a fit of laughter. "You can't be serious, right? Just to give you fair warning, you have no idea what you're up against."

Rosette would not back down. "Try me."

"This is ridiculous. I'm not fighting you. As much as I don't like you, I see no reason to fight you. Now put down those fists, you're just embarrassing yourself."

"What's wrong? You afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you? What gave you that idea? I've taken out punks three times your size. You're just not a challenge. Besides, I don't fight girls."

"There's a first time for everything!"

Rosette lunged at Chrono but she ended up hitting air. Chrono dodged the blow without much effort on his part. A second blow came his way which he dodged again. A flurry of punches followed which he dodged like before.

Rosette was angered that she couldn't even land a punch on him. "Stand still, will ya! How am I supposed to hit you if you keep doing that?!"

"I told you, I'm not fighting you. Give it up already."

"Like hell I will!"

She kept up her relentless assault. Chrono dodged every blow coming his way perfectly. During all this, he thought how he could put an end to this. This was getting way out of hand. A plan started forming in his mind…

For a moment, he allowed himself to be caught off guard. One of Rosette's fists buried itself in his gut as a result.

She thought she had won, and looked up hoping to see Chrono in pain. She was greeted by a different sight entirely. Instead of being in pain, he stared at her with a bored expression on his face.

"Is that it? Is that really all you got?, he asked her.

"But…how did you….you should be in pain right now!"

"Maybe now you'll see what you're up against. Sorry, but I didn't feel a damned thing."

"Maybe not, but I bet your face will bruise nicely!"

She aimed at his face, but he intercepted her blow by catching her fist mid-air. Quick as a flash, he had both her arms locked behind her back in a hold of his own devising.

She was surprised at his speed. She didn't even have time to react. Her only means of attack had been taken away, and now all she wanted was to get loose.

"Hey, let go of me! That's not fair!"

"You brought this on yourself. I told you, you have no idea what you're up against. Maybe now you see what I mean. I'll let you go if you promise to stop embarrassing yourself like this. Deal?"

She had no choice but to accept his offer. He slowly let go of her, and that's when she realized they were being watched. Their "fight" had attracted a small crowd, watching their every movement.

Her cheeks turned red very quickly. This was the last thing she wanted. She could feel the humiliation crawling its way through her system. It finally got to her why Chrono said she was embarrassing herself.

During the confusion, Chrono made good his escape. He saw no reason why he should stick around.

_Later that day… _

Rather unexpectedly, Rosette was called to Ms. Valentine's office. She had no idea what it could be about.

"Hi, Aunt Kate. What's this about?"

"Hi, Rosette. I would've liked to tell you this is a social call, but there's something I need to find out about, and you can help me."

"Whatever you need, Aunt Kate."

"Perhaps you can tell me what's going on with you and Chrono?"

This was the last thing she expected. She didn't know how to respond.

"Uh…there's nothing going on. Really."

"Then why did you start a fight with him at recess?"

"Uhm…well, I…we just don't get along."

"Is that enough of a reason to want to resort to violence?"

"I…guess not."

"Technically, I can't even call Chrono in here because he didn't start it. Though apparently he did a good job of defending himself."

"He's fast, I'll give him that."

"Rosette, let's just talk off the record for a moment, niece to aunt. Did something happen between you and Chrono?"

"Sort of."

"Whatever it was, I suggest you get it sorted out between the two of you. It can't go on like this."

"You know what's been happening?"

"If you mean do I know that you sit next to him every recess at that same bench, then yes, I do know what's going on. I also know you've been following him home every day."

"How'd you know about that?"

"I'm the principal, Rosette. It's my job to know."

The rest of the school day went by without incident. However, in the back of her mind she was plotting her revenge, never mind what her aunt said. Her logic told her that Chrono humiliated her in front of all those people and that payback was in order.

What she didn't know was that Chrono would redeem himself before the day was done…

_That same day, after school…_

Today just wasn't Rosette's day. On top of being humiliated, she missed Chrono just after the last bell rang. Somehow he managed to get a head start on her and was probably a whole minute ahead of her. She was also walking alone today because Azmaria and Joshua went on ahead without her.

"_Just my damned luck."_

She hadn't walked far when she became aware she was being followed. She looked behind her and saw it was the same guy who had been harassing her the last few weeks. This guy, called Darius, had tried hitting on her to no avail. She just wasn't interested but he just wouldn't give up. She thought he would've given up by now. Evidently she was wrong.

She also saw he brought some friends with him this time. She didn't care, though. If she had to humiliate him in front of his friends, then so be it.

Darius and his gang caught up with her eventually. Rosette kept up her pose and asked Darius, "What do you want? I thought all the times I sent your sorry ass packing would've been enough for you to get the picture."

"Hey, no hard feelings. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

"Save your breath, I'm not interested."

"Oh come on, just give me a chance. I'm not so bad once you get to know me."

"I already know everything I need to know about you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I know you can't quit while you're ahead, your annoying, and a general pain in the ass. No wonder you can't get a date from anyone else."

Even though Darius had taken this kind of scorn from her before, his fuse was very short today. He didn't like what he was hearing at all.

"You know, baby, all this time you've been pushing my buttons and all this time I've been too polite to tell you that at any time I might just blow, and well, who can say what I might just do."

"Oh please. You probably couldn't keep a girl for long anyway."

"Now that really hurts, baby. You're really cutting my nuts off and I don't like it one bit."

"If you ask me, there's not a lot to cut off anyway."

"Look, baby, I'm warning you now. Keep this up and I won't be responsible for what I do."

"Call me baby one more time and I will be cutting off something for real this time."

Darius could take no more. He forcibly grabbed her by the arm, to which Rosette responded by kicking him in the one place where the sun don't shine. Darius doubled over with the pain, and Rosette made good her escape. She thought she was home free but Darius's gang pursued her relentlessly. She headed for a nearby park hoping she would lose them there.

She was still running when she accidentally stumbled and fell to the ground. Soon she was surrounded by Darius's gang. Darius stood over her, smirking as he did so.

"Not so tough now, are you, baby?"

"And you ain't exactly a brick wall yourself, you coward."

A voice from behind uttered those words, and when Darius turned around to identify the owner, it was Chrono himself who stood there.

"Stay out of this, you freak! You've got no business here!"

"Freak? Is that the best you can come with up? Man, you're insults suck, just like you do. You know, I'm surprised you can stand up straight without a spine."

"I've had enough! Take him out, now!", Darius half shouted to his gang.

Chrono didn't seem to care at all. "Aw man, only four of you? This is hardly gonna be any fun at all. And the odds aren't even fair."

"You bet your ass the odds aren't fair!", Darius remarked.

"No, I mean the odds are against you. See, its no big thing for me to take out your puny posse. Let me tell you a secret: I've taken on as many as ten guys at a time, so four against one is no problem for me."

"We'll see about that! Take him out, NOW!"

Rosette was a bit skeptical about what Chrono had said. Even she didn't think he could win this one.

"_He's crazy. There's no way he can win. He's just too overconfident." _

Chrono didn't wait long to prove his fighting prowess against multiple opponents. The gang had surrounded him, but he wasn't worried at all. Two of them came charging at him, so he dodged out of the way, making them crash into each other, thus incapacitating them for the moment. The other two took swings at Chrono, but he was prepared. If there was one thing he knew how to execute, it was one-hit knockout punches.

When he saw an opening, he delivered an immobilizing punch to the gut of one of his opponents, and the remaining one he elbowed in the face, breaking his nose in the process.

Now Darius was all alone and without backup. "No!! It wasn't supposed to be like this!! You should be flat on the ground!!"

"Which is where you're gonna be in a second. Guys like you make me so sick I want to puke. Frankly, I can't stand having you in my sight. I'm pissed off that I have to breathe the same air you do. But don't think for a moment you're gonna have it easy like your friends over there did. For you, I'm saving the "special treatment."

"Special treatment?! What the hell is that supposed to be?!"

"Oh, I think you're about to find out. Let's just say after I'm done with you, their gonna have to identify you using your dental records, 'cause that's how I'm gonna rearrange your face for you. That is, if you have any teeth left", Chrono grinned.

Darius wasn't about to stay and found out exactly what Chrono had in mind. He turned tail and ran, but he wasn't fast enough. In mere seconds, Chrono was beside him and brought him to a halt by planting one right on his jaw.

As to what happened next, well, use your imagination…

After Chrono was done, he walked over to Rosette. "You're lucky I was in the area. A little later, and well, who knows what could have happened."

"I…could've handled the situation. I…I didn't need any help."

"Yeah, right. If you were handling the situation, then why'd you run?"

"I…uhm…"

"Let me tell you something about our friend Darius over there. This isn't the first time he's done this. He's been busted for this kind of behavior before. But because his father is an important businessman in New York and has connections, the whole thing was covered up. And guess what? His father's been busted for it too. The apple don't fall far from the damned tree."

"How'd you know?"

"A little bird called Tony told me. Now, I've known for a while Darius had taken a liking to you and that he wouldn't quit until he got what he wanted. Let's just say I had a feeling he'd try something or sooner. It's probably 'cause you were walking home alone that made him decide to try his luck today. That's why I decided to stick around to keep an eye on you."

"You did that…for me?"

"Hey, don't get any ideas. I didn't do it 'cause I like you or anything."

"Then why?"

"I like seeing justice done. Let's leave it at that."

"So what do we do about Darius?"

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do. Tomorrow we're both going to Ms. Valentine's office and tell her what happened. She'll be able to take it further from there. I'm sure as hell not letting that SOB get away with it this time."

"I…guess I should say thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now come on, I'll walk you the rest of the way home. Oh, and one more thing: don't think for a moment that this changes anything between us. This is just a temporary truce."

"I suppose that's the best I could have hoped for."

"Look, I'll put it this way: I may not like you, but I don't hate you."

"Thanks…I guess."

The rest of the way, Rosette's mind was occupied with the events that just took place. For the first time, she saw a different side to him than she even thought possible.

For the first time in a long time, she was quiet for longer than five minutes.

* * *

Author's note: Well I hope you all enjoyed it. It certainly took me long enough. You'll probably notice I didn't put in any song lyrics again. I'll probably do that again soon, but then the circumstances in the plot have to be just right for me to include any. I'll probably do it again in a future chapter.

If I made any mistakes with my use of Spanish, feel free to tell me. I'm referring to Pablo when he talked to Rosette. My knowledge of the Spanish language is limited, so any help would be appreciated.

For those who are wondering, Rosette and Chrono will be getting together sooner than you think! The next chapter will be an important one. Let's just say Azmaria and Joshua's plans will come together better than they had hoped…

So, I think you all know what to do know. Until next time, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off (cue sound of static).


	10. The Girl Next Door Part 10

Author's note: Ladies and gentlemen, the Hawk has returned. That's right, I'm back and bringing you another chapter of your favorite fic. (Note the shameless self-promotion) As those of you who read my last author's note will remember, I am currently on a course and only recently have I finally managed to gain some breathing space for myself, enough space so I could start writing this chapter for your enjoyment. I promised it would be an important chapter and indeed it is. Azmaria and Joshua will put their plan into action with a little help. This chapter also serves as the starting point for the next chapter which will also be very important. Well, I've wasted enough of your time and I bet your just itching to read this chapter, so go ahead, enjoy!

The Girl Next Door

Part 10

Like Chrono had promised, he and Rosette went to see Principal Valentine the next day about the encounter with Darius. Principal Valentine couldn't thank Chrono enough for bringing the matter to her attention and for being there to help her niece out of a sticky situation.

Needless to say, not long after, Darius left Eden High under mysterious circumstances never to be seen again.

So where would this leave them? Obviously much had changed between them since the first day they met. Rosette couldn't really continue bugging Chrono, because the way things were now, she owed him one after what he did for her. A difficult situation for her, to say the least. She had a promise to keep, yet she was in his debt.

Recess came around as usual, and the normal order of business would be observed at Chrono's bench. Yet this time, Rosette was not her usual self. Instead of scheming how she could annoy him, she just sat there quietly.

Chrono, strangely enough, noticed that Rosette was not going to great lengths to make his life difficult, and this made him uncomfortable. When things suddenly change overnight, you have to know something's up. In a strange first for him, he actually turned off his MP3 player, took the earphones out of his ears, and turned to face her.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you. The whole time you've been here, you've just sat there and stared off into space. All out of ideas how you're gonna make my life hell?"

"No, it's not that. I…I just want to say…thanks for what you did for me. I did not like the idea of becoming another statistic."

"That's like the tenth time you've said that today. I get the picture, okay? Something else has to be bugging you."

"I was wondering…you know…if we could start over?"

"Start over?"

"From the beginning. I realize things have been…difficult between us the past few weeks, but I think we're both to blame here. I've learned a few things about you lately that made me think about some of the things I've said and thought about you. I guess…you're not so bad."

"Do my ears deceive me?"

"Look, I'm being sincere here. The least you can do is hear me out."

"As long as you don't start pretending you're a wannabe self-help expert."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. Just because I saved your ass from Darius doesn't change a thing between us. It was just a temporary peace. I thought I made that clear."

"You can't be serious!?"

"Dead serious. Like I said, nothing has changed us between us. You challenged me, and now your gonna have to live with the consequences. To tell you the truth, I'm actually enjoying this. Remember what I said? I don't hate you, and that much is true. But there is that other part as well: I still don't like you. In your defense though, I will confess, you're a rare opponent indeed, and I'm gonna take my time with you."

Wrong choice of words. This is not what Rosette wanted to hear from Chrono right now. Here she was, trying to end their rivalry, and he doesn't even so much as give her the time of day. It was more than she could stand.

"You know what? I take back what I said about you just now. In fact, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought!"

"If that's your best attempt at an insult, then I have to tell you I'm disappointed. I've been called worse things than that."

Rosette's temper was reaching the boiling point fast. But she knew she couldn't start another fight with him again, not if she didn't want to pay her aunt's office a visit again. This time, it would go on her permanent record.

"I've had enough of this! You're anger and your lust for a fight is gonna be your downfall one day, you hear me?!"

"Fine talk from someone who's losing her temper right in front of me."

"Oh yeah? You aint seen nothin' yet! Hey, are you listening?"

Before she had even finished that sentence, Chrono was back to listening to the songs on his MP3 player. Using the last bit of restraint she could muster she stomped off, her face red from the rage she was trying to suppress.

Not far from there, Joshua and Azmaria witnessed the scene that played itself out. Joshua just sighed; any hope he had of resolving the issue peacefully had just died a sudden death thanks to Chrono. Azmaria noticed the expression on Joshua's face and asked, "What's wrong, Joshua?"

"Everything. Chrono just killed any chance we had."

"How sure are you that's what happened? We can't hear what they said from over here."

"If I know my sister, she just got angry because Chrono had to go and say something that got her mad. I mean, the reason she was even there was to try and sort out this whole mess. This just proves we can't rely on them if we want peace between them. It's time for us to step in."

"But Joshua, we don't even have a plan yet."

"Good thing you've got me to handle that. I have an idea, and it's so simple, I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."

"So what is this idea of yours?"

"Man, it's so simple, even an idiot couldn't screw it up. Okay, listen, here's my plan…"

_A few minutes later…_

Azmaria didn't know exactly what to say. She tried to keep a straight face on, but that attempt failed miserably. Who could blame her after what Joshua had proposed?

"Hey, don't look at me like that! And stop looking so worried, nothing's gonna go wrong."

"Are you…absolutely sure?"

"Course I'm sure. I saw it in a movie once. It can't fail."

"But…that's just a movie."

"Come on, have a little faith. This'll work, trust me."

"Okay…I guess."

She couldn't really say anything else. But she did keep wondering that since this was Joshua's brainchild, did it really have any chance of success?

There was only one way to find out…

_That same day, Chrono's house…_

Joshua and Azmaria met up at Chrono's house after school, like they agreed to do. They needed Aion's help if Joshua's plan was to succeed.

Turning to face her, Joshua asked Azmaria, "So you're sure you want to go through with this?"

"We're already this far. We can't turn back now."

"Okay then, here goes nothing."

He rang the doorbell and hoped anyone but Chrono would open the door. His hopes were realized when Chrono's older sibling opened up. "Hi there."

"Hello Aion. Look, we have something we want to discuss with you, something important."

"Wait, I know you. You're Rosette's little brother, right?"

"The one and the same."

"Thought so. I remember you from the other night when my uncle invited your family over for dinner. Azmaria needs no introductions, I already know her. So what's so important that you have to discuss with me?"

"I think we need to sit down, this is gonna take a while."

_Not so long after…_

Aion took a moment to take in what Azmaria and Joshua had shared with him, then he looked upon both of them and said, "So let me get this straight. You two need my help with your plan to get my brother and your sister to kiss and make up, am I right?"

"Bingo. Except for the kissing part, we don't want it to go that far."

"And here I thought there was no more hope."

"No more hope? What are you talking about?"

"Sorry, it's just that…Chrono has shut out most people who could be good friends for him. I didn't think there was anyone except me and the rest of the family who would care enough about him to go the lengths you two are prepared to go. You know what; I think I'll back you up. We'll make your idea work."

"Seriously?"

"I couldn't be more serious if I tried. It's about time my brother got over himself and embraced life again."

"Just to set the record straight, we're not exactly his friends. We're just doing this 'cause the whole thing is just stupid. They shouldn't be fighting at all, but they're just too stubborn to admit that they both have a claim in this. Besides, ever since the feud started there have been a few occasions involving me and my sister that have been near hazardous for my health. Speaking of that, where's Chrono?"

Just after Joshua had said those words, he eyed the environment cautiously just in case the individual he feared the most made a sudden appearance.

"Well, even if you think you're doing it for selfish reasons, it'll still go a long way towards getting my brother out of the hole he's put himself in. Who knows, maybe you'll become friends eventually, and don't worry, he's down in the basement practicing."

With a puzzled expression on her face, Azmaria asked, "Practicing? What do you mean?"

"It was gonna come out anyway. Chrono is a brilliant guitar player, but he keeps it to himself. I thought you knew already."

"I did actually. I just didn't know what you were talking about, Aion."

"That's okay, Azmaria. Not only is he good at playing the guitar, his singing isn't half bad either. He's got a lot of talent but he doesn't bother to take it further than playing for himself."

"So he's down there right now?"

"Yeah, he should be. He was headed that way just before you showed up."

"I was wondering if…if we could see him play."

Joshua nearly jumped out of his chair when Azmaria uttered those words. How could she even suggest what she was suggesting!? It was a suicide mission and then some to Joshua.

Trying not to sound scared, he faced Azmaria and said, "Are you… sure you want to do that? I mean, we really shouldn't bother him."

"But, Joshua, I really want to see this. Do it for me, please."

All it took for Joshua was one look at those crimson eyes of Azmaria and all resistance crumbled. How could he possibly deny her request now?

"I…suppose a peek…couldn't hurt."

"Thank you, Joshua! I knew you wouldn't let me down!"

Right there and then she embraced him as a way of showing her thanks. In response, Joshua's cheeks turned a darker shade of red. He was quite surprised at her reaction, but he just went with the flow.

"Well, if it means that much to you…"

"_Man, those eyes of hers should be registered as lethal weapons!"_

Aion watched the whole scene with a smile. Joshua still had a lot to learn about women.

"_This is just the start, kid. You're still a bit naïve, but you'll learn soon enough."_

Aion was correct. Joshua still had to learn that often men are driven to do things they wouldn't normally do when a woman is involved. It's just an unavoidable fact.

Soon the three of them stood at the door to the basement. Aion issued Joshua and Azmaria a final word of warning before they went inside.

"Now remember, don't let him see you, okay? Just peek around the corner, but do not let him see you under any circumstance. If he does…well, I hope you're both fast runners."

"Thanks, Aion. Let's go, Joshua."

"Okay."

He took the lead just to try and show Azmaria he wasn't scared. Down the stairs they went, until they came to the corner that Aion spoke of. Peeking around it revealed the interior of the room they found themselves in. They saw a punching bag suspended from the ceiling, plus some weights and a bench like the ones you'd find in a gym.

Further peeking revealed Chrono standing in front of a pair of speakers hooked up to a CD player. From what they could see he was busy tuning a guitar which was connected to the speakers.

Whispering as quietly as he could, he asked Azmaria, "What do you think he's doing?"

"Don't know. Let's just see what he does."

They didn't wait long to find out. They observed Chrono placing a disk in the CD player, grabbing his guitar and standing ready for whatever was to come.

Azmaria was confused by this. "I though Aion said he actually played the guitar. So what's he doing with the CD player?"

"Don't know, Azmaria."

Suddenly the speakers came to life. A song was starting up, an aggressive sounding one, just like Azmaria expected, yet it did nothing to extinguish her curiosity. This was something she had to see.

As soon as the song's intro was over, Chrono started plucking the strings of his guitar vigorously. A voice coming from the CD player joined in as well.

_You walk on like a woman in suffering_

_Won't even bother now to tell me why_

_You come alone, letting none of us savor the moment_

_Leaving me broken another time_

_You come on like a bloodstained hurricane_

_Leave me alone, let me be this time_

_You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption_

_I don't want to mention, the reason I know_

_That I am stricken and can't let you go_

_When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know_

_That I am crippled by all that you've done_

_Into the abyss will I run!_

_You don't know what your power has done to me_

_I want to know if I'll heal inside_

_I can't go on with a holocaust about to happen_

_Seeing you laughing another time_

_You'll never know how your face has haunted me_

_My very soul has to bleed this time_

_Another hole in the wall of my inner defenses_

_Leaving me breathless, the reason I know_

_That I am stricken and can't let you go_

_When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know_

_That I am crippled by all that you've done_

_Into the abyss will I run!_

_Into the abyss will I run!_

It was at this point in the song that a guitar solo came up, and Chrono played it all the way. At one point it sounded like the strings were on the verge of breaking, but they held up despite what Chrono was putting them through. Now there was no doubting anymore, this was genuine because it didn't look like a random plucking of strings like a pretender would do. Now they saw for themselves just how accomplished he was.

_You walk on like a woman in suffering_

_Won't even bother now to tell me why_

_You come alone, letting none of us savor the moment_

_Leaving me broken another time_

_You come on like a bloodstained hurricane_

_Leave me alone, let me be this time_

_You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption_

_I don't want to mention, the reason I know_

_That I am stricken and can't let you go_

_When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know_

_That I am crippled by all that you've done_

_Into the abyss will I run!_

_Into the abyss will I run!_

_I can't let you go!_

_Yes I am stricken and can't let you go!!_

Azmaria and Joshua stared at the whole scene in disbelief. They never realized just how good he was up until now. Any doubt about his musical ability had disappeared like the morning mist before the sun.

"Did you see that, Azmaria?"

"I did, and I still can't believe it. Wait, it looks like he's gonna play again."

She was correct. Another song was starting up, once again aggressive.

_I've told you this once before can't control me_

_If you try to take me down you're gonna pay_

_I feel your every nothing that you're doing for me_

_I'm thinking you oughta make you're own way _

_I stand alone inside _

_I stand alone_

_You're always hiding behind your so-called goddess _

_So what, you don't think that we can see your face?_

_You resurrected back before the final falling _

_I'll never rest until I can make my own way_

_I'm not afraid of fading _

_I stand alone_

_Feeling your sting down inside me _

_I'm not dying for it_

_I stand alone _

_Everything that I believe is fading _

_I stand alone inside_

_I stand alone_

_Now it's my time (now it's my time)_

_It's my time to dream (It's my time to dream)_

_Dream of the skies (dream of the skies)_

_Make me believe that this place isn't plagued by the poison in me_

_Help me decide if my fire will burn out before you can breathe _

_Breathe into me _

_I stand alone inside _

_I stand alone_

_Feeling your sting down inside me _

_I'm not dying for it_

_I stand alone _

_Everything that I believe is fading _

_I stand alone inside_

_I stand alone inside_

_I stand alone inside_

_I stand alone inside_

Once the song had ended, Joshua noticed Azmaria looked a bit sad. "What's wrong, Azmaria?"

"That song…does Chrono really believe he's alone that much? What could've happened in his life to make him think that?"

"Good question, though the song does sound familiar. Can't put my finger on it right now. Doesn't matter, it'll come to me sooner or later. Hey look, he's gonna play again."

_Listen up, turn it up and rock it out_

_Party on, I wanna hear you scream and shout_

_This is real, as real as it gets_

_I came to get down to get some fucking respect_

_Taking it back to a hardcore level_

_You better be ready, put your pedal to the metal_

_Taking it back to a hardcore level_

_You better be ready, put your pedal to the metal. _

_Go!_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_I want domination_

_I want your submission_

_I see you're not resisting _

_To this temptation_

_I've got one confession_

_A love deprivation _

_I've got a jet black heart_

_It's all fucked up and it's falling apart_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_I've got another confession_

_I fell to temptation_

_And there is no question_

_There was some connection_

_I've got to follow my heart_

_No matter how far_

_I've gotta roll the dice_

_Never look back and never think twice_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_Take your past and burn it up and let it go_

_Carry on; I'm stronger than you'll ever know_

_That's the deal; you get no respect _

_You're gonna get yours _

_You better watch your fucking neck _

_Take your past and burn it up and let it go_

_Carry on; I'm stronger than you'll ever know_

_That's the deal; you get no respect _

_You're gonna get yours _

_You better watch your fucking neck _

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved _

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_Whoa! I'll never give up_

_Whoa! I'll never give in_

_And I just wanna be, wanna be loved_

After the song was done, Joshua took the opportunity to comment on the situation. "So what do you think? Is he as good as Aion said he is?"

"Yeah, he is, although I would've loved to hear him sing."

"Maybe now you'll get your wish. He's getting ready again."

_I'm not listening, not anymore _

_The more I learn, the more I ignore _

_I'm not listening, not anymore _

_The more I can, the more I ignore _

_I'm not listening, not anymore, no_

_Cause you gotta be bigger, and be faster, and be stronger _

_If your gonna survive any longer _

_In this lifetime it better be the right time _

'_Cause the first time might be your last time _

_Am I a failure if I got nothing to lose? _

_No, I'm not a failure, I've got something to prove _

_I'm not listening, not anymore _

_The more I learn, the more I ignore _

_I'm not listening, not anymore _

_The more I can, the more I ignore, the more I ignore _

_Cause I've lost my innocence _

_And I'm a stranger, a life changer _

_I'm a man that's not afraid of danger _

_I walk my own path, and blaze my own trail _

_Because I'm not afraid to derail _

_I won't get in line or be a middle man _

_So fuck you I'll make my own plan _

_And I got respect and I don't neglect _

_The people that I really care to protect _

_Am I a failure if I got nothing to lose? _

_No, I'm not a failure, I've got something to prove _

_I told you before, won't listen no more _

_I told you before, let's settle the score _

_I told you before, won't listen no more _

_I told you before, let's settle the score_

_If not me then who? _

_If not now then when? _

_If not me then who? _

_If not now then when?_

_I told you before, won't listen no more _

_I told you before, let's settle the score _

_I told you before, won't listen no more _

_I told you before, let's settle the score _

Slowly the song faded out and died down. Azmaria, having seen what she wanted to see, decided to leave. "Let's go, Joshua. I've seen enough."

"You sure? We could always stay a bit longer if that's what you want."

"No, its fine. I know you're uncomfortable being here and I've seen and heard enough. Come on, let's go."

"Who said I was uncomfortable-"

Smiling, she responded, "I know you better than you think. I'm a pretty good judge of character if you haven't realized. We can talk about it later but not here. So let's go already."

Joshua couldn't quite figure out how Azmaria managed to be one step ahead of him all the time, but he just accepted that trying to understand it wouldn't help at all. Wisely, he just went with the flow for now.

Soon they had left the confines of the basement and found themselves back in the kitchen. Aion was waiting for them. "You're not running, so I guess he didn't see you."

"He didn't, but on the other hand we couldn't believe what we saw. He's absolutely amazing. Does he do it often?"

"Pretty much, Azmaria. When he was younger, our mother had him take guitar lessons. That's when his talent was discovered. After just a few lessons, he was capable of playing a song after only having heard it once. It wasn't always perfect, but it got even better as he practiced more and more. Soon his skill level was so high that his teacher couldn't teach him anything more."

"But why doesn't he do anything with his talent? Other people would be pestering the record companies just to give them a chance. I'm sure he would've had a whole string of deals lined up by now."

"You know as well as I do he's a lone wolf, he doesn't run with the pack. I'm not at liberty to talk about his past. When he's ready he'll talk. He sticks to himself a lot, in fact our relationship isn't what it used to be."

"But why does he always listen to aggressive rock and metal? From what I heard these songs always promote violence and revenge on your enemies."

"He's an angry guy, Azmaria, angry at the world and at people who did him wrong. He's filled with hatred at just about everyone and everything that ever gave him a hard time in his life. The stuff he listens to is just his outlet."

"I see. Well, we have to get going. Joshua and I still have some homework to do."

"Okay. I'll stay in touch."

_A week later, Eden High…_

The normal order of a normal school day could be observed at the halls of Eden High. Students were coming and going, some heading to their lockers while others were going outside because the bell for recess had rung. Normally Rosette would be at Chrono's side, but she was a bit slow getting out of Mr. Remington's classroom.

She was still unsure how to handle the situation with Chrono. This was new territory for her altogether. A direct confrontation never worked before, nor did talking to him in a civilized manner. To put it shortly, she couldn't figure him out.

While she was thinking about this, she was hardly paying attention to where she was walking. Her thoughts were occupying her mind too much for her to even notice she was about to bump into someone coming around the corner…

Before she even knew it, she crashed into something that felt distinctly like another person, and nearly landed on the floor. She looked up to see who the other person so she could apologize.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to-"

Her sentence was cut short when she saw who the other person was. "You!"

The other person responded with,"Well, well, if it isn't that blondie from the school dance that had a problem with the way I dressed."

It was none other than Satella Havenheit that fate had decreed should cross Rosette's path today. This was the last thing she wanted. The claws were about to shown…

Satella was not alone. With her were her friends, a group of the richest and most popular girls in school. One of them asked, "Is this the little tramp that had a problem with you at the school dance, Satella?"

"Who are you calling a tramp!?"

"Yes, that's her alright", Satella responded.

"In case you didn't know, if you have a problem with one of us, then you have a problem with all of us."

Rosette was quick to respond. "Look here, I'm no one's tramp, you got that? I didn't bump into Satella on purpose, it was an accident!"

Satella didn't wait to speak her mind. "Oh look, it talks."

"What did you just say!? Why I oughta-"

"Leave her, she's not worth the time and effort. Let's get out of here. We wouldn't want to be seen talking to the commoners. Just remember to stay out of our way."

With that, they all turned around and walked off, leaving Rosette absolutely furious.

"_The nerve of that German witch and her friends! I should've given her a piece of my mind!"_

She made her way outside so she could cool off and encountered her brother and Azmaria. Joshua, noticing his sister's rather hostile disposition, asked, "Hey sis, what's up?"

"What's up? I'll tell you what's up! That Satella and her friends are all a bunch of arrogant, stuck up, spoiled brats who think just because they have more money than we do they can do and say whatever they want!"

"Are you saying that you had a fight with Satella?"

"It was more of a misunderstanding. I bumped into her by accident, and they had the nerve to call me a tramp! They wouldn't even listen to me!"

Azmaria, silent thus far, added her own bit to the conversation. "You're lucky that's all that happened. Satella's friends…let's just say their not the friendliest group ever. With other people it never stayed with words…"

"Let them try it! I'm ready for 'em!"

"Don't go doing something you'll regret later, sis. Aunt Kate can only cover you so many times before she has to start giving out detention, get my drift?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Rosette sat down at a nearby bench to cool down. When she wasn't looking, Azmaria and Joshua slipped away. "You don't think this is gonna make any change to our plans, do you, Azmaria?"

"I hope not. Today is the only chance were gonna get for a long time."

Indeed it was. Aion had informed them that Chrono's uncle would be working late that day and that Chrono's aunt would be visiting a friend in a hospital all the way in New York. Joshua also knew his father was working late as well and that his mother had an appointment with the local book club. This was as good a chance as they were going to get.

_That afternoon, after school… _

"Okay, so everyone knows what to do, right?", Joshua asked his two partners.

"Of course we do. We've come this far, we can't turn back now, Joshua."

"I'm with Azmaria. It's now or never."

"Alright, let's do this."

The scene was set at Azmaria's house. Aion, Joshua and Azmaria had agreed to meet there before their plan was put into action. Now all that was left was for everyone to play their parts.

Aion didn't have to do much since Chrono was already down in the basement, exactly where they wanted him. His role was still important though; he had the key to the basement, and the key was integral to their plans.

Meanwhile, Azmaria and Joshua went over to Joshua's house. They had to set the bait for his sister to fall into their trap. They found her in her room, lying on her bed, still angry about what had transpired between her and Satella.

"So what do you want? Can't you see I'm still mad?"

"If you would stop being mad for a minute, I've got something to tell you."

"It'd better be good to wanna interrupt me."

"Trust me, it is. You're not gonna believe this but-"

"Oh, for the love of Mike, just spit out already!"

"Fine. Sheesh, have a little patience. I was gonna say, before I was so rudely interrupted, that Chrono told us he'd like a word with you."

That made Rosette sit up straight immediately. For a moment she thought her ears were deceiving her.

"Did I just hear you say Chrono wants to talk to me?"

"That's what I said. In fact, he'd like to see you now, if you don't mind, sis."

"Wait a minute, this a bit too good to be true. Are you up to something, Joshua?"

Joshua nearly panicked. The last thing he wanted was to have Rosette realize something was up. It would put the whole plan in jeopardy. Azmaria, seeing which way the wind blew, quickly intervened.

"It's true, Rosette. I saw it all with my own eyes. He approached us outside and told us he'd like to talk to you now if you wanted to. He's waiting for you over at his house."

Rosette knew when her brother was lying, but she had no reason not to trust Azmaria. Still, something did not feel right here. Despite the warnings lights going off, she decided to take a chance.

"Okay, I'll go see what he has to say for himself. But I'm warning you, Joshua, if this is some kind of trick, you'll be getting one of my super-special noogie attacks."

"Now sis, would I lie to you? Don't answer that! Anyways, you don't want to keep him waiting, so get going already."

Joshua uttered a sigh of relief as quietly as he could. Everything was going according to plan. His sister may be a bit suspicious, but by the time she knew what was going on, the trap would already have sprung on both her and Chrono. Across the street they went where they came to a standstill to the front door of Chrono's house. Aion opened up after the doorbell was rung. "Oh, hi Rosette. My brother's expecting you."

"How'd you know he was expecting me?"

"He told me. He's waiting for you in the basement. I don't think I'll need to show you where, you've already seen where it is."

Rosette eyed the whole lot of them with suspicion. The whole thing felt orchestrated somehow. If it hadn't been for Azmaria, she would've never gone along with it all.

"_I'm here now, so I might as well go through with it."_

She stood at the entrance to the basement, a familiar sight since she had been there before. That little voice in her head that told her it was too good to be true was working overtime, but she ignored it all the same.

"_Here goes nothing."_

She slowly turned the knob and looked inside. Everything was quiet.

"Are you sure he's down there?"

"Of course he is. He wanted to meet here for a reason", Aion responded.

"And that reason is?"

"_Man, why's she askin' so many questions for?"_

"Well…the basement is where he feels comfortable…yeah, that's it! He said his room wouldn't be right because he didn't want to give you the wrong idea and the basement was the next best thing he could think of."

Rosette looked at Aion with suspicion. He tried his best to look like nothing was wrong, even smiled a goofy-looking smile.

Rosette issued them a final word of warning before she descended the stairs down into the basement. "I don't know what the three of you are planning, but I'm warning you, if I don't like it, you're all gonna be sorry."

With that, she went through the door, closed it behind her, and made her way down the stairs. Fearlessly, she went around the corner and encountered Chrono tuning in one of his guitars. At first he didn't notice her, but he felt a distinct presence, one that didn't belong there, and thus he looked up. He nearly dropped his guitar when he saw who was with him in the room. He thought his eyes were playing tricks. It didn't take long for him to regain control of his vocal chords though.

"What the hell are you doing here!?!"

"That's a funny way to greet someone you invited over. I was expecting a bit of a warmer welcome."

"What the hell have you been smoking!?! Why would I ever invite you over?"

"But my brother and Azmaria said you told them you wanted to talk to me."

"What!?! Did he say that? The next time I see him, he's a corpse!"

"But I thought-"

"You thought wrong! I never told him anything! You've been had by your own brother!"

Rosette had known something was going on, but now she knew it for sure. Her brother had taken her for a ride, and now it was payback time.

"That little S.O.B! He's so gonna get it now!"

She stomped off to the door and turned the knob, but to her surprise the door wouldn't open. She tried again with the same result. Repeated attempts yielded the same results.

"What the hell is going on here!?! Who locked the door!?!"

Chrono, who was close behind her, was also wondering the same thing when a familiar voice answered from the other side.

"We did, sis."

"Joshua, is that you? Open this damned door now!"

"No can do, sis."

"And why not!?!"

"I'll be honest with you, sis. Your feud with Chrono is just plain stupid and should never have happened, but both of you are just too stubborn to admit you're both to blame here. So now, we're giving you a chance to work out your differences, and neither of you are coming out until you do, so I suggest you get started."

Chrono's anger was reaching the boiling point pretty fast. This is not how we wanted to spend his afternoon, especially not in the company of his greatest rival.

"So help me, you little punk, when I get out of here I'll show you what hell on earth really is, and the same goes for you Aion, 'cause I know you had a part in this!"

"You know tough guy, I speak for Joshua here when I say that feud of yours is stupid. You've been hiding from the world for too long now, bro, and don't think Uncle Ryan or Aunt Kathy are gonna save you because their both coming home late. So take my advice, work out your differences and do it fast."

"Go to hell, Aion!"

Aion was not easily offended. "Why, thank you bro. I'll make sure to book a reservation there some time. Now have fun, and play nice with each other. We'll be checking up on you every now and then, so see ya."

Rosette and Chrono heard the faint sounds of footsteps fading into the distance, then there was silence. Rosette banged on the door a few more times, but no one would have answered.

"_That little bastard is so dead when I see him again! He'd better start running now 'cause he would not want me to catch up to him!"_

After she had finally stopped ranting and raving, the reality of what had happened finally set in. Here she was, stuck in a stuffy basement with her greatest rival thus far, and the only way out was to make peace with him, something she _really_ didn't want to do. Chrono was having similar feelings.

They both sat down but never said anything, just stared at each other. Both were obviously upset but the only way to get out of it was to do the one thing they didn't want to. Half an hour later they were still sitting there just staring off into space. Finally, Rosette said something.

"So…you got any ideas on how to get out of here?"

Chrono didn't respond immediately, but finally answered, "I've got nothing."

Silence reigned once again for a while. Rosette, in a change of character, thought maybe she should do as her brother wanted, even though the thought sickened her to the core of her being.

"Don't you think we should…you know…just do what my brother said and…well, talk about this?"

Chrono looked at her like she was saying the craziest thing he had ever heard. "Are you stoned or something? What makes you think I'd try and work things out with you just like that?"

"Dammit, I'm trying to be the bigger person here! What is wrong with you?"

"You should have thought about being the bigger person when we first met."

"Well, I would have if certain people didn't have an attitude that stinks!"

"You looked in the mirror lately?"

"Oh, you're really asking for it now!"

"Oh yeah, tiger, you're fighting skills are really impressive. I'm shaking now!"

"Yeah, laugh it up, tough guy, but the thing is neither of us are getting out of here unless we work out our differences! Now I don't know about you but I don't want to be stuck in here until who knows how late! So we can either work it out or be stuck here until who knows how late!"

"Forget it!"

Now, Rosette could take a lot of things. She had a lot more endurance than people gave her credit for, but this she couldn't stand any longer. Feeling like she had nothing to lose, she let out everything she ever wanted to say to him but never could.

"You know, I've thought and said a lot of things about you over the past few weeks. There was even a time when I thought you weren't so bad, but I guess you've done a lot to prove me wrong. So here's what I think of you: I think you're a total ass, who thinks he can do everything by himself, and thinks he impresses everyone with the lonely tough guy when in reality he's a sad individual hiding behind a mask he puts on for the masses and pushes away everyone who ever cared about him-"

"SHUT UP!!!!"

Those last words of hers must have really struck a cord somewhere within Chrono's being, because she never saw it coming. When Chrono looked up at her, she saw an anger in his eyes she had never seen before.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?! You know nothing about me or my past, so don't pretend like you know everything, because you know NOTHING!"

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you tell me?"

"Fine! You wanna hear my story? Then sit down and listen up!"

Now, normally Chrono would never agree to tell just anyone his life story, but he was so angry he wasn't thinking straight. He was especially angered that Rosette would dare to pretend she knew what he was all about if she didn't even know what he had been through in his life.

"My story begins two years ago in New York…"

Author's note: Well, I hope this makes up for the long wait you've had to endure. Luckily, my course will be finished soon so maybe I'll squeeze in another chapter before what's left of the year is over. As for Satella's appearance: well, she's in the fic now, so I had to do something with her. Don't worry, she'll be making an appearance again, but for now the focus is on Chrono and Rosette's relationship. The next chapter will be revealing a lot more about Chrono's past, so expect a lot of flashbacks and such. Well, I think I've said enough about the next chapter, I wouldn't want to spoil it before its even finished.

You'll also have noticed I finally included some lyrics again in this chapter. The four songs are my favorites at the moment, what I listen to the most.

The first song is by the band_ Disturbed _and the song is called _Stricken. _For those people who are fans of their work I suggest you check out that song pronto, 'cause in my opinion its one of their best. I especially like the impressive guitar solo in the middle. The band's guitarist is an absolute genius with a guitar.

Joshua was right when he said he recognized the second song. It's an old favorite of mine, and I really thought it said a lot about Chrono since he does believe he stands alone. The song is _I Stand Alone_ by the band _Godsmack_. The reason Joshua recognizes it is because the song appeared on the soundtrack of the movie _The Scorpion King, _starring pro wrestler turned actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the lead role.

The last two songs are by the same band. The band, of course, is _Papa Roach_. The third song in this fic, which is their work, is called _To Be Loved, _but don't let the song title fool you, it's a very fast-paced song and on a personal level, a fun song too. The last song is called _Not Listening, _and when I first heard it I thought it really says a lot about Chrono the way I've portrayed him in this fic. I think you'll agree with me if you read the lyrics

That's about enough trivia from me one for one day. Hopefully the next time I see you you'll be reading the next chapter.

Until next time, this is the Hawk signing off (cue sound of static)


	11. The Girl Next Door Part 11

Author's note: Wazzup, everyone? It's me, your friendly neighborhood Hawk bringing you yet another chapter of everyone's favorite fic! Yeah, I know I really have to stop blowing my own horn like that. Now, on to business.

I know you've all been waiting for this chapter for a long time and I hope you won't be disappointed because we finally find out what happened so long ago that made Chrono the person he is today. I hope I at least didn't make everything sound a bit far fetched, but you'll see what I mean once you read far enough into the fic itself. Sometimes I wonder if I'm making sense with some of the stuff I come up with, but it seems to work. After all, this is based off an anime/manga so one could be forgiven for that since crazy stuff happens in both mediums sometimes.

I was planning on posting this chapter before Christmas and giving you all a nice present but that never worked out because there was just too much I wanted to do in this chapter that time ran out on me before I could make the deadline. I mean, why is it that game developers only release their best titles around the holidays? The gamer in me just had to get his hands on some of the titles that were available and actually play them. So don't blame me, blame the game developers for withholding those games at this late stage in this year! Okay, I know that's a weak excuse. Hey, I'm only human.

Most of you will remember that I mentioned I was doing a course. Well, I have some good news: I passed all my exams that were associated with the course! Not with flying colors, but at least I passed. The highest score I got was seventy seven percent. Not bad, right?

As I was saying, there was just so much I wanted to do with this chapter that I decided to tell the rest of the story in the next chapter. So the rest of what happened will only be revealed next time. I mean, this chapter alone is close to forty pages. That's more than I've ever written before. I hope you'll be satisfied. Another reason for cutting this chapter short is because my parents decided today we should go visit some relatives we haven't seen in nearly three years. What's the problem? Those same relatives are staying for the holidays in a town about four hours by car from where I live, we leave tomorrow morning and we'll be staying until after New Year's Day, so I really had to haul ass to get this finished on time. At first I didn't feel like going but then I decided get out of the house for once. After all, blood is thicker than water. Oh well, I suppose you want to stop listening to my whining and get on with you came here for: the latest chapter of The Girl Next Door! With that said, enjoy!

The Girl Next Door

Part 11

"Who the hell do you think you are!?! You know nothing about me or my past, so don't pretend like you know everything, because you know NOTHING!"

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you tell me?"

"Fine! You wanna hear my story? Then sit down and listen up!"

Now, normally Chrono would never agree to tell just anyone his life story, but he was so angry he wasn't thinking straight. He was especially angered that Rosette would dare to pretend she knew what he was all about if she didn't even know what he had been through in his life.

"My story begins two years ago in New York…

_XXX Flashback XXX_

_Two years ago, in a quiet suburb just outside New York City…_

Chrono was walking home from school one afternoon, beaten and bruised. His clothes were torn and his hair was a mess. This wasn't the first time this had happened, though. Ever since he had started the new school year at Magdalan High School, this had been an everyday occurrence. It was like the bullies were picking on him and only him, like he was everybody's punching bag.

"_How the hell can they even be allowed to do what they're doing? I thought the school was supposed to be this "prestigious" place where students could be free to be themselves and have a "peaceful and fulfilling academic career." Then why…why are they doing this? Do they like what they're doing? Is it really that fun for them to pick on someone smaller than them who can't stand up for himself? Why? WHY?!!!!!!!!" _

He nearly shouted those last words as the tears started filling his eyes. It was really becoming too much for him to bear. Unfortunately, he knew there would be drama waiting at home. Up until a few months ago, his parents were still the average hard working citizens who wanted only the best for their children. Recently, though, things started taking a turn for the worst. Chrono knew that married couples argue every now and then, it was normal. But his parents were arguing far too much lately, often for hours on end. This was more than any fourteen-year old was meant to handle.

Whereas before his parents always listened to him and he could count on their support, he now only had his older brother Aion. But Aion's hands were tied, he couldn't really do anything to better the situation. All he could do was to listen to his younger sibling and be there for him in his own limited way.

The school Chrono went to was known as Magdalan High School, located not far from Chrono's house. Even though it had started out as a high school, it had expanded years ago to include students from lower grades. In all respects it was akin to an academy of sorts, even though it remained a high school in name. The school was marketed as a place where high-quality education was available to the average student, where they could be better taught than in a normal public school.

It was on this basis that Chrono's parent's enrolled both boys in this institution; they only wanted the best for their sons. Chrono quickly found out even though the school had a shiny exterior, what with all the marketing, its interior was rotten to the core. Many students attending Magdalan were engaged in less than legal activities. Some underage students were smoking behind the gym; some even had the guts to bring drugs to school and to go to class high on those same drugs. How the teachers never noticed was a mystery. A bigger mystery was how the students even got the drugs. That's wasn't all though. Promiscuity among the older female and male students was rife, some even bragging about their latest conquest and how many people they had shared a bed with recently.

As if that wasn't enough, there were the bullies. Chrono became very well "acquainted" with them early on. They made his life a living hell every day. One time as they were picking on them, he asked them with tears in his eyes why they were doing this. The response? "Why? Because we're bigger than you are, you little twerp. We're strong, you're weak, and the weak don't deserve to survive."

Really, how could any student hope to be themselves in a place as messed up and crazy as this? If peer pressure wasn't hitting you from one side, you'd most likely be the target of a delinquent or two.

Chrono wiped the tears off his face before he entered through the front door of his house. He headed for his room down the hall, put down his bag when he got there, then headed to the kitchen for some lunch. There he found his brother at the kitchen table biting into a sandwich. Aion gave him one look and said, "Had a rough day?"

"Yeah."

"The same guys?"

"Yeah."

"You really should change your clothes. Mom's definitely gonna notice."

"Yeah."

"And clean yourself up a bit. Don't know what we're gonna do about that black eye, though."

"It doesn't matter, Aion. I'll just tell Mom and Dad what I always do: it was an accident. It's not like they care anyway."

"Hey, that's not true. Mom and Dad are just going through a rough time. It happens to every married couple some or other time. Come on, have a seat. I made you your favorite: peanut butter and jelly."

"Thanks, bro."

As soon as Chrono sat down at the table, Aion handed him the sandwich. Chrono, however, just took one small bite and seemed to have no further interest in food. The way he felt now, nothing could make him feel better.

Aion noticed his younger sibling's mood. As soon as he was done eating, he got up from the table, walked around to where Chrono was sitting, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey bro, if you wanna talk about it, I'm here for ya. Now let's go do something about your face. You can't look like this when Mom and Dad get home from work."

Chrono slowly got up, turned to face his brother, and said, "Aion, I…"

He couldn't finish that sentence because he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He fell into Aion's arms and held onto him like there was no one else he could trust. Aion, in response, wrapped his arms around his brother, placed a hand on his head, and tried his best to comfort him.

"It's okay, bro. Let it all out. I'm right here for ya."

"I'm just so… tired of being the punching bag all the time. I hate…looking like I'm twelve when I'm actually fourteen! That's why…they pick on me! That's why they treat me…like a little kid! I'm so sick of this! Why, Aion? Why are they…doing this?"

"People are strange that way, Chrono. Sometimes they have to make others feel bad so they can feel good about themselves."

"But…I didn't ask for this. I never did anything to them. I wish…I wish Mom and Dad never put us in that damned school! It's making my life a living hell! And I wish I never had this hair and these eyes! Why did I have to be born with violet hair and red eyes? I never asked for this!"

"Hey, you're not the only who's had a hard time. You think it's easy for me having white hair? You can't let them get to you, bro. You know who you are on the inside and nobody can take that away from you. We can't do anything about our family's gene pool so we just have to live with it."

"Aion…I wish…I had your strength. I wish…I could me more like you sometimes."

"That's where you're wrong. Trying to be like someone else is just gonna make you unhappy. Just be yourself and everything will be fine."

"Thank you…Aion, for listening. I feel…a bit better now."

"You know I'm there for you, bro. Now let's go get you cleaned up."

"Okay, Aion."

Chrono released his brother and they both proceeded to the bathroom where they cleaned up the blood from his face and tended to his bruises. Then Chrono threw his old clothes into the laundry and put on some fresh clothes. After that the two brothers sat down in the living room and talked about another problem: their parents.

"Aion…do you think Mom and Dad will be okay again?"

"I don't know. I'll try talking to them again, but I don't know how much good it'll do."

"Why do you think things ended up this way? We used to be one big happy family."

"I'm not sure, Chrono. These things happen, and it's up to Mom and Dad to figure out what they need to do."

"But don't they see what it's doing to us? How can they be so selfish?"

"Mom and Dad have lost their way. From what I can pick up, their fighting over stuff they should have sorted out when they got married. All we can do is hope that they get some help. By the way, don't you have guitar lessons today?"

"Yeah, you're right. Okay, see you later, bro. And…thanks for everything."

"Any time you need me, I'm here."

Chrono took guitar lessons from a certain Mr. Jackson, a music instructor who gave private lessons. Chrono's mother was the musical one in the family, and hoped Chrono would inherit her love of all things musical. She was right; Chrono had a musical talent that became apparent once Mr. Johnson took him under his wing. For this hour and a half twice a week he could forget about the outside world and just concentrate on improving his talent. If it hadn't been for music and his love of it, he might not have survived his home life and school.

Something else he looked forward to was when he visited his grandfather. Chrono's family on his mother's side was Japanese, which is where one might suppose he and his brother got their unique looks from. Their grandfather had taken it upon himself to teach the boys about their heritage. As such he had taught the boys some basic Japanese phrases, culture and history, but most important of all, he had taught them some martial arts. Unfortunately, Chrono was too afraid of the bullies at school to ever use what his grandfather had taught him. Besides, he had taught them that violence itself is not the answer, and Chrono didn't want to betray what he was taught.

_XXX End Flashback XXX_

It was at this point that Rosette interrupted Chrono. She simply couldn't believe that Chrono had Japanese blood in him. She found it hard to believe that this could be the case.

"You got to be friggin' kidding me! You're actually half Japanese? That's so cool!"

"Actually, I'm quarter Japanese."

"Huh?"

"Let me explain. My father is all American, but my mother is half Japanese. My grandfather's family immigrated to the United States in 1906 in search of a better life. They settled in California in one of the many _Nihonmachis, _or Japantowns where they opened a store, and by the 1930's they had become one of the more prominent families in their community. Things would have continued peacefully if the Japanese Imperial Navy hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. By order of the government, most of the Japanese population in the West Coast was removed and placed in "relocation centers" which is a better way of saying concentration camp. My grandfather was only a child when all this happened, when they were so brutally torn from their homes, from everything they knew. All this happened because the government was "concerned" for the safety of those citizens of Japanese ancestry, because at that time the whole country was scared of all things Japanese. The forced removals were really motivated by racial prejudice and irrational fear. When the war ended, my grandfather and his family returned to their home only to find that some ignorant people had smashed in the windows and doors and painted on the walls "Japs not welcome anymore!" and other similar messages. They didn't really have a choice other than starting all over again, which wasn't easy since they had lost everything. Years after that, during the 1950's, my grandfather met my grandmother, who by the way is all American, with whom he formed a friendship that later became something more. Eventually they got engaged and married in a time when people still hadn't forgotten about Pearl Harbor, but they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together regardless of what other people said. So now you know how my mother came into the picture. It's because of her and her ancestry that my brother and I have Japanese blood in us."

Rosette was absolutely speechless after what Chrono had told her. "Wow…I never knew that about you…"

"Yeah, well, even my dad has some mixed blood in him. He's got French, German, and Swedish ancestors. I guess the gene pool does funny things sometimes if you take a look at me and my brother."

"Well…you don't look that bad."

"Maybe. Now, where was I…

_XXX Flashback XXX_

Violence might not be the answer, but try telling that to the bullies who made Chrono's life miserable every chance they got. Chrono was right; you might as well have stuck a big bull's-eye on him. Due to his small size and appearance, it made him an easy target. Aion couldn't help him because he couldn't be there 24/7 to be his brother's babysitter, something which Chrono knew all too well.

Things would have continued like this indefinitely if he hadn't met Shader on that fateful afternoon. She helped him make his life a little more bearable. At least now he had a friend whose shoulder he could cry on. Unfortunately, it did nothing to stop the people who gave him such a hard time. Little did he know it would be because of Shader and those same people that he would soon leave his old self behind…

Chrono and Shader were hanging out at Shader's house one afternoon when Chrono was looking through her music collection. "Wow, Shader, you've got just about everything here. Where'd you get all this stuff?"

"Oh, you know, some of that my parents bought me, others I bought myself, and some my friends gave me. I just remembered that I never asked you what kind of music you like."

"I don't really know. I just listen to whatever I feel like. I don't really have a favorite type yet."

"That's okay. You'll find out what you like eventually. Tell you what; I'll let you borrow some of those CD's. Maybe you'll find out what you like if you listen to some of those."

"Thanks, Shader! I'll take good care of them, I promise."

"Yeah, I know you will."

_The next day… _

Chrono had just arrived at Shader's house to give her back her CD's and thank her for letting him borrow it. Then she asked him which CD's he liked.

"Well…I liked those _Linkin Park_ guys. I really liked the songs _In the End _and _Crawling_. Call it weird, but it's like the words spoke to me in a way, like I could relate to them."

"_Linkin Park_, huh? Well, if you like them, then that's okay with me."

"I just wish I had an electric guitar at home. I would've liked to play some of those songs if I could."

"Really? You never told me you played the guitar. How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I should've told you earlier. I've been taking lessons for about a year now, Shader. My instructor thinks I'm pretty good. He even said I should enter a talent competition or something, but I don't know. I can't see myself in front of all those people, I'd freeze up right there."

"Well…"

Chrono knew that look in Shader's eye, and it worried him. She was planning something again, something he knew he wouldn't like.

"Whatever it is, I'm not gonna be involved, Shader."

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Chrono. I was just thinking that your instructor has a good idea going there. You do know the school's talent contest is coming up next week, right?"

"No ways am I gonna stand in front of all those people! You're crazy, Shader!"

"Oh, come on, what do you have to lose?"

"Uh…well…"

He tried to think of valid reasons why he couldn't enter the competition but even he knew it would be useless. For every reason he couldn't, she would find a reason he could. That's why, a week later, he found himself nervously waiting for his turn to appear in front of everyone assembled in the school's auditorium.

Right now, he was cursing his big mouth. Why did he have to mention in front of Shader of all people that he had musical talent? He should've known she wouldn't stop bugging him about it. No matter how he tried, he couldn't avoid her at school and she was even there when he signed up for the contest. He wouldn't have signed up any other way and she knew it so she made sure he did.

The person who went on stage before he did was attempting a comedy routine but he wasn't doing so well. Chrono could make out the sounds of people boo-ing and shouting for the poor performer to get off the stage. The next moment that same performer came walking past him with a look of defeat on his face. He noticed Chrono standing there and said, "Look, pal, let me warn ya: that's a tough crowd out there. Good luck, you're gonna need it."

Those words didn't help make the youth feel any better about the situation. He found himself panicking more than usual and his hands were sweaty.

"_Shader, what have you gotten me into? I shouldn't even be here in this situation!"_

He gripped his guitar tighter and hoped for the best. It still did little to stop his heart from beating faster. The aforementioned organ nearly jumped out of his chest when the announcer called his name. Now it was his turn and the urge to turn around and run was at it's strongest.

"_Get a grip on yourself! You've got to do this for yourself, not for Shader! Besides, she'd never forgive you and you'll never know what it's like performing in front a huge crowd like this! Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three!"_

Meanwhile, on the stage, the announcer had just called Chron's name for the second time. Shader, who was in the audience, wondered what was going. She had spoken to him at length about how this would be good for his self-confidence and how much better he would feel about himself after this was over.

"_He'd better not be thinking of chickening out. If he doesn't show up in the next ten seconds, I'm gonna go back there and drag him out on the stage whether he likes it or not." _

The announcer was about to call Chrono's name for the third time when he came walking out onto the stage, nervously holding his guitar in hand. By now the announcer was annoyed at the young man's inability to show up on time. "About time, kid. This is a tough crowd so give it your best."

"Yeah, I know."

It was only when Chrono was alone on the stage that he realized how many people there were. He promised himself he wouldn't, but he couldn't help it. Stage fright got the better of him and he froze right there.

Shader was watching this with a worried look on her face. This was not what they had rehearsed for a whole week.

"_Come on kiddo, you can do it. I believe in you." _

Chrono never even got the chance to lift up his guitar and start playing. The next moment, somewhere in the audience, someone shouted, "Hey look, it's Freak Boy! What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

From there everything went downhill fast. Suddenly the whole auditorium was filled with the sound of people boo-ing him and shouting at him to get off the stage.

"Freaks ain't allowed on stage!"

"Yeah, freaks belong in the circus!"

"We don't want you here!"

Whoever said "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" obviously never attended Magdalan High. Those words hurt Chrono more than any physical pain, stabbing him right through the soul and his inner being. He ran from the stage as fast as his legs could carry him, almost dropping his guitar in the process as the tears started filling his eyes. He found himself a spot to hide backstage and sat there until the contest was over and the winners had been announced. As soon as everyone had left, he stood up and made his way outside around the building and to the main gate, hoping that no one would see him. He didn't get far when Shader found him with his head hanging down, a dull expression on his face.

"Chrono…I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I didn't think-"

"That right, YOU DIDN'T THINK!!!!!"

Shader was shocked at her friends' sudden outburst. Never before had she seen him like this. He looked up at her gritting his teeth and with his angry eyes full of tears and hate for her at that moment. He wasn't done shouting at her yet, though.

"You didn't think for a moment about what I wanted! I knew this would happen but you wouldn't listen! It was all about what you wanted, never about what I wanted and I never wanted to do this! It was all about you! You're just like my parents, every one of you selfish! Now just leave me alone!"

"Chrono, I'm…sorry."

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!"

With that, Chrono turned around and walked to the main gate, his mood evident on his face. The sky was turning grey as the clouds started gathering overhead; rain was imminent, and so was a fight. Chrono was about to exit the main gate when an old "acquaintance" and his gang showed up and blocked Chrono's way.

"Hey freak, where do you think you're going?"

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this, Bruce. You can beat the hell out of me tomorrow if you want, but right now I just want to go home."

"I don't think so. If you ain't noticed yet, we don't like freaks like you that think they can just get up on stage and do whatever they want. Now we're gonna show you what happens to freaks who forget their place, starting with that guitar of yours."

"Leave it alone! My music teacher gave me that as a present!"

"Well, say goodbye 'cause your little toy here is about to break. Boys, you know what to do."

Before Chrono could do anything, he was surrounded. The next moment one of Bruce's goons grabbed him from behind while another took the guitar. No matter how Chrono struggled, he couldn't free himself from the hold he was in and no amount of pleading and begging made them give back his beloved instrument. Bruce held it above his head, turned to face Chrono, and with a sadistic smile on his face said, "Watch carefully, 'cause I'm only gonna do this once."

He was about to reduce the instrument to splinters but his arms only went halfway to the ground when a female voice called out to them, "Stop that!"

Chrono recognized that voice as belonging to none other than Shader. He looked up and saw her approaching Bruce fearlessly. "What is your problem, Bruce? He's smaller than you are. I know this sounds clichéd, but can't you find someone your own size to pick on? Bullying him only shows everyone what a coward you really are."

Bruce did not like what he was hearing at all. No one had the guts to speak to him like that, especially some girl who had no business being here.

"Shut up, four-eyes. You ain't got nothing to do with this."

"Of course I do. He's my friend."

Chrono's eyes shot open wide when he heard Shader say that. Even after he shouted at her and treated her so badly, she was still loyal to him. Dear sweet Shader, who only tried to help him, and how did he repay her? By behaving like a brat. She only meant well, only had good intentions, and he chased her away like a dog, yet like a dog she still came back to him even after he kicked her.

"It figures. Freaks always stick together", Bruce said in response to Shader's last words. Then Shader played her trump card.

"And so cowards and bullies. Guess that's something we have in common."

"You're really starting to piss me off, four-eyes! Take this!"

It was like an accident scene from a movie. Bruce's hand coming down on Shader's face, the hand making contact, Shader's body going limp and falling to the ground…it was as if Chrono was seeing this all happen in slow motion.

"Shader!"

He managed to free himself from the grip he was in and rushed to his friend's aid. "Shader! Can you hear me? Please, say something!"

It was no use. She was out cold and a bruise was forming on her cheek where Bruce had punched her. It would be swollen for quite a while after all of this was over. However, the future was the last thing on the young man's mind. What mattered was the now. Seeing Shader lying there unconscious after she stood up for him even after he treated her so badly was more than he could bear. Anger was quickly taking over now; revenge was the only pursuit now. The more thought about it, the angrier he became and as a result his body started shaking violently. His fists were clenched so tight his fingernails were digging into his palms and nearly drew blood. Like his fists, his teeth were clenched as well and at that moment he saw nothing but red, as if someone had just waved a red flag in front an angry bull.

One thing was certain: today Bruce would pay dearly for what he did. Chrono would see to that. Nobody knocks his friend's out cold and gets away with it.

The young man got up, turned to face Bruce and his goons, and said to them, "You didn't have to do that. She's only a girl."

"Four-eyes had it comin', just like you. You freaks don't deserve to be in this school."

"And who the hell died and put you in charge? You have no right to do decide who belongs here and who doesn't. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I think I'm the guy who's gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on you, so get ready, 'cause you're gonna be sore for a month after I'm done with you."

"You mean your goons here are gonna do your dirty work for you. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you actually fighting. What's the matter, Bruce? Too scared to get your hands dirty? I mean, what else could I expect from a guy who forms a gang to terrorize people smaller than him? You can't do anything on your own so you get these guys to do your dirty work for you, is that it?"

"I've heard just about enough out of you! Here comes the pain!"

Bruce brought down his fist on Chrono's stomach and made contact. Imagine his surprise when Chrono didn't even flinch or shout in pain. Instead, Chrono looked at him with that same angry look in his eyes, not even fazed a bit.

"Huh? What the hell?"

"Surprised, Bruce? I should thank you. All those times I got beaten up by you guys, it toughened me up little by little. I don't even feel it anymore. But I promise you that you're gonna feel this!"

Bruce never saw it coming. As quick as a flash, Chrono's fist came down on his chin, resulting in Bruce hitting the ground hard. In that moment, Chrono, in his anger, put all his strength into that one punch. No way would Bruce get up from that.

His minions stood there with their mouths open wide. This couldn't be happening, but they couldn't deny that their leader was out cold no more than a few feet from where they stood. They couldn't believe that the "freak" had actually done that!

The "freak" turned to look at them, and for a moment they could have sworn those eyes were flashing red more than usual. "And now", Chrono said as he slowly approached them, "it's your turn."

Without warning, he was upon them, like a predator would be upon his prey. Today those few moments are mostly a blur in Chrono's memories. The little he does remember is agonizing screams of pain and the sight and smell of blood, and he was the one who made them bleed. Months of frustration and anger had rushed to the surface and exploded violently into a flurry of punches and kicks. Not caring what might happen to him, he threw himself into the fight and whenever he was hit, he would return it tenfold.

To put it mildly, the beast had been unleashed; his inner demon was released.

It wasn't long before the bodies of his victims were strewn around him, every last one with a broken nose or black eye. Standing over one of them like a conqueror over a vanquished enemy, he was breathing heavily and his body was sore all over. The pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain he had inflicted on Bruce and his goons, though.

With clenched fists and gritted teeth, he surveyed the battlefield as angry as ever. Leaning back a bit, he screamed, "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!?!".

Speaking of Bruce, his consciousness was returning to him slowly until he was able to lift his head. What he saw chilled him to the bone; his whole gang had been annihilated and the person who did the annihilating was "Freak Boy" himself.

"_Who the hell is this guy!? This can't be the same loser we've been picking on all this time. He actually floored me. How the hell did he do that?" _

Bruce decided that now was the best time to make his escape. Chrono's back was turned to him so now was as good a chance as he was going to get. Getting up slowly, he tried to move as silently as he could to the main gate which was only about six feet away.

Chrono had other plans though…

The next moment Bruce felt his legs being kicked out from under him. Too late; Chrono had noticed him making his escape and put an abrupt end to it right there. No way was he going to get away with this.

"Where the hell are you going!? This fight isn't over until I say it's over!"

In an ironic twist of fate, Bruce found himself begging for mercy like Chrono had done so many times before. Only this time, Chrono was the one towering over Bruce.

"Please! Have mercy! I promise I'll never pick on you again! Just don't hurt me!"

"Sorry, all out of mercy."

"Please, don't do this! Maybe we can work something out-"

"SHUT UP!!!!"

The last thing Chrono wanted to do was listen to Bruce groveling. He had to try his hardest not to beat the hell out of him, but it was hard, almost too hard. Now Chrono had a few things of his own to say.

"Did you show me any mercy all those times when I begged you not to hurt me? What about all the others you picked on just for fun? Did you show them any kindness? No, you sick twisted bastard, you laughed while they screamed in pain! If you had smashed my guitar, I would've let this slide but you had to go and knock out a dear friend of mine, and get this straight: NO ONE KNOCKS OUT MY FRIENDS FOR FUN! No, you've gone on with this far too long. You're tab is overdue, and its time to pay you're debt."

Chrono flashed an evil smile that made Bruce cringe. Whatever Chrono had planned, it would not be good for Bruce's health, and he was right…

It wasn't long before the once mighty Bruce was at the mercy of his former victim. Chrono didn't give him a single chance to breathe; he was on Bruce the whole time, never letting up, never letting go.

"Come on, you bastard! Laugh! It's funny, right? It's damn funny the way I'm kicking your ass, isn't it!? I swear, if you don't laugh right now, I'll friggin' KILL YOU!!!!!"

And when Bruce did let out a weak laugh, Chrono would shut him up by punching him through the mouth. By now, his whole chin and the lower regions of his face were bleeding, and still Chrono was on him. It's as if the more blood he saw, the more berserk he went.

"Shut the hell up!!!! You think this is funny?! I'll show you what's funny!!!"

And so the cycle would repeat itself. Somewhere during all this, Shader had regained consciousness. Slowly she got up, but when she did she wished she had stayed unconscious a while longer. What was left of Bruce's gang was scattered all around her, looking worse than she did. But that was nothing compared to what she witnessed next. To her horror, she saw Chrono on top of Bruce, punching and kicking away at him, going at it like a madman.

_  
"Chrono…what happened to you? You're not…the person I've come to know. You're different…and I don't like it…please, stop this…" _

By now, Bruce had no strength left at all. He couldn't defend himself now even if he wanted to; his arms and legs refused to obey him. It didn't seem like Chrono cared though. He was still continuing his relentless assault.

Shader ran over to Chrono in an attempt to put a stop to this. She approached Chrono from the side, placed her hand on his shoulder and begged him to stop. "Please, Chrono, enough! He can't defend himself anymore!"

Chrono would hear none of it, though. "Leave me alone! This son of a bitch is gonna pay for all he's done!", he said as he shoved her aside so strongly that she nearly fell over. With that, he continued bringing the pain.

Then Shader did something completely unexpected: she fell on top of Bruce in an effort to get Chrono to stop. He wasn't impressed with this at all.

"Get the hell off him! He's had this coming for a long time!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere until you stop this!"

"Why should I? He deserves every bit of this and you know it!"

"Maybe he does, but that doesn't mean you have to do this! This isn't like you at all! What happened to you? Where's the Chrono I became friends with? The shy, sweet guy who wouldn't harm a fly? Where is he?"

"He's gone, so get used it. I refuse to be the victim any longer. From now on these bastards are gonna get what's coming to them and neither you nor anyone else is gonna stop me!"

"Do you realize what you're saying? If you start getting revenge on everyone, you'll turn into what you hate the most! You'll be a bully just like them!"

Those last words seemed to do the trick, because Chrono stopped what he was doing right there. It was as if he was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't quite register what Shader had just said.

"_What if…she's right? What if…I become a bully just like them? No…I'm not gonna go down that road…Shader…I'm so sorry…"_

Slowly his knees started giving way under him. All the fighting had taken its toll on him; he was more exhausted than he would have liked to admit. Soon he was down on all fours, breathing heavily. He looked at all the bodies around him and realized for the first time that he was the one responsible.

"_I did…this. What happened to me? I don't even remember half of what went on here."_

He was about to collapse but Shader caught him in time and helped him up. With a concerned look on her face, she asked him, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I don't know. I'm so…sorry, Shader. I didn't mean to do it…I never wanted to hurt you…"

There was so much more he wanted to say to her, but it wouldn't come out. Tears started filling his eyes and his voice broke. About the same time, the rain started falling all around them. Not caring that they would both be soaking wet in a minute or two, Shader embraced her young friend and held him close while he cried into her shoulder.

There they stood for a good five minutes until Chrono had calmed down enough to talk. "Shader…I'm so sorry…for scaring you like that. I don't know what came over me. I was so angry all I could think about was making them pay for all they've done. I totally flipped when he knocked you out. You didn't deserve that."

"It's okay. All you wanted was to protect me. That's what friend's do for each other, right? So, how did it feel getting back at them for once?"

"It felt good. I think they get the message now. I'm not scared anymore."

Shader smiled at him and said, "Good. Now let's go home. We're both gonna catch a cold out here."

With that, Shader escorted Chrono back home. When he got home, Chrono told his older sibling all about what had happened. Aion found it a bit hard to believe, but said nothing to make it apparent that he was skeptical. That night, Chrono slept soundly for the first time in a long time. He didn't even notice his parents arguing again like they usually did.

The next day at school, rumors had spread that Chrono had been the one to give Bruce's gang such a sound beating. The school janitor found them still lying there unconscious long after Chrono and Shader had left the scene. Now they made themselves scarce whenever Chrono was near. But unbeknownst to Chrono, he had attracted attention, the wrong kind of attention.

It was on this fateful day that Chrono met someone else who would change his life. It was recess when Chrono was approached by an older student, one Derek Whitley. He was well known as being one of the more popular students in the school, and the object of many a teenage girls' dreams. Why would someone like him want to contact Chrono who was so much further down the social food chain than he was? We're about to find out.

Chrono was sitting down on a bench enjoying his lunch when he noticed someone casting a shadow over the bench. He looked up and saw a brown haired, green eyed male student looking back at him. "Are you Chrono?"

"Uh, yeah. Is there something you want?"

"So you're the one who took out Bruce's gang yesterday?"

"Well, it was more like an accident really-"

"I don't think you realize what you've gotten yourself into."

"Huh?"

"Look, I'm not here to pick on you if that's what you're thinking. Just know that you've attracted a lot of attention from the wrong people."

"What are you talking about? What people?"

"If you want to know more, then meet me here again after school. I promise it'll be worth your while."

With that, Derek turned around and walked away, leaving behind a very confused Chrono.

"_What the hell is he talking about? What people? Whose attention did I attract? Come to think of it, I did notice some of the other students looking at me funny."_

_Later that day, after school… _

Chrono didn't have to wait long for Derek to show up. He was only at the assigned meeting spot for a minute when Derek arrived. "Good, you showed up. I almost thought you wouldn't."

"Okay, I'm here now, so what's so important that you have to tell me?"

"Not here. They could have people watching us. Follow me."

Chrono didn't really have any choice but to follow Derek as he was instructed. They walked and walked for about ten minutes until they were near the outskirts of the town. Suddenly, Derek announced, "We're almost there."

They turned off the main road and onto a dirt road that led to a small abandoned warehouse. In they went until they came to a large central room where a four other people awaited them. One of them had short white hair and wore a cowboy hat. Next to him was a large teenage male with black hair dressed in a leather jacket and plain brown pants. The third person wore a baseball cap backwards on his head, a large T-shirt and a necklace with a cross around his neck. And last but not least, the fourth person in the group had very short brown hair and wore a black T-shirt with a pair of jeans and sneakers, very much like what Chrono was wearing at the time.

"Glad to see your all here", Derek said. "Okay, let me introduce you all. Everybody, this is Chrono. Now let's start with the guy who thinks he's the Lone Ranger."

The "Lone Ranger" snorted at this remark yet still kept that confident smile on his face. Ignoring him for the moment, Derek continued. "His name is Genai. He was one of the first to join our group along with Viede here."

Derek pointed in the direction of the tall guy next to Genai, who simply said "hi".

"And here we have G-Money."

The fellow with the strange name responded with, "Yo, whattup, dawg?"

Derek thought that a little explaining was in order, so he went about telling Chrono about the origins of G-Money's unusual nickname. "You're probably wondering where he got the name, right? Well, G-Money here is from a pretty wealthy family but they're all a bunch of snobs who expect him to act the right way and keep the family name high. But he doesn't like that kind of life so acting "gangsta" is his way of rebelling against them. Also, his real name is George but he doesn't like the name 'cause it doesn't have any "street cred" so what he did was to take the first letter of his name and add it onto the word "money" since he does have a lot of it. Therefore, G-Money. And finally, we have Adam, our resident metal head."

"Okay, now that we're all, what's so important that you had to bring me all the way out here?"

"Okay, Chrono, I think it's about time I talked. Now listen carefully. What I'm about to tell you now is known to only a few people in the school."

"You got my attention, Derek."

"Who do you think is in charge of our beloved school?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it: Who do you think is really in charge of Magdalan High?"

"Well…the staff like the teachers and the principal and-"

"Wrong! You're totally wrong, Chrono."

"Huh? That's impossible. Who else could be in charge?"

"Have you ever heard about Scott Mitchell?"

"You mean the richest and most popular student in school?"

"The one and the same, Chrono. He's really pulling the strings behind the scenes. Ever since he took over, everything about Magdalan High has been going south. It's because of him that the students are doing what they like and getting away with it."

"You're talking crazy, Derek! How could he have taken over? What about the teachers and the other staff? Don't they know what's going on?"

"Okay, I can see I'm confusing you. I'll start from the beginning. It happened about last year when the principal got sick. I'm not sure what he got, but he's been at home ever since, so the teachers temporarily took over. They had to: no one had yet been announced as the vice principal. Just shows you how rotten the school's administration is."

"So what does this have to do with me being here, Derek?"

"Very few people actually know how overworked and underpaid our teachers are, Chrono. Most of them ended up at Magdalan High because they couldn't get a job anywhere else. Here's where Scott comes in: when the principal left on sick leave, he saw his chance. He knew the situation most of the teachers found themselves in, so he approached them and offered them bribes if they would look the other way when certain "acts" were committed that didn't need any intervention from the staff. You'd think they would have turned down his offer and reported it to the other teachers, but that's not the case. Take for example Mr. Shepard, the English teacher. He's got two young sons to take care of ever since he got divorced from his wife. You think a teacher's pay is enough to support those two? Not nearly enough. The bribe he's getting from Scott is helping him to make ends meet. And then there's Mrs. Peabody, our biology teacher. Her husband is lying in hospital with cancer with no way of paying for the treatment he needs. Just being in hospital is costing them a lot everyday. The money she's getting from Scott is helping to pay for whatever medical expenses they have. I could go on and on about who's on Scott's payroll, but I think you get the idea. About eighty percent of the teachers are in his pocket."

"But….why? I know times are hard sometimes, but their teachers and adults! They should know better."

"They may be our teachers, Chrono, but their people first. That's where we make the mistake by thinking that our teachers are these holy people who can't do or say anything wrong. Take away the title of teacher and their just like everybody else and when it comes to survival, their prepared to do just about anything, things they wouldn't do normally. Have you noticed that they've been acting differently for the past few months? Their consciences are bothering them, but they can't do anything or else they can forget about the money."

"But why is Scott even doing this? What does he think he can gain from this? I mean, he's got all the money he could possibly want."

Genai finally spoke after being quiet for so long. "You think money is everything? You can't even begin to imagine how many unhappy people there are in our school and I'm talking about students and the staff. About half the students in our school come from wealthy families but their parents neglect them and think money and gifts will show them just how much they love them. They don't get that no amount of money is ever gonna make up for the basic parental support we all need. Ask G-Money, he knows what I'm talking about."

"It's all true, dawg. My homie here be tellin' the truth."

"Wait, how do you guys know all this? And I still haven't heard how any of this affects me."

"Scott and I used to be good friends", Derek continued. "We had it all: popularity, girls, invites to all the best parties, everything we wanted. Life was good. But Scott…he was never really happy. He liked to be in control, he liked to make the decisions and they weren't always the best decisions. If I wanted to do something he didn't want to, he'd try everything he could to make me see his point of view. Believe me, he has this charm about him that can make you doubt yourself; convince you that you're wrong. We often ended up fighting about it but sooner or later we'd forgive each other and go on like nothing ever happened. The motivation for all this is that his parents neglect him; he's been raised by the staff that works at their house. He's had limited contact with his parents for years now. His father is often away on business trips and his mother always has some kind of social event going on. He's never had anyone to talk to except for me and the few friends he does have. That's how I know all these things. He can't control his parents and he hates that. All he wanted was to have their support but he doesn't even get that. That's why he started taking control of the school little by little; if he can't control what happens at his house, he'll take over the school. At first I didn't know what was going on, everything seemed normal. I started noticing something was wrong when I saw one of the teachers catching some of the students red-handed while they were smoking. However, that same teacher just acted like he didn't see and walked away. I couldn't believe what happened and afterwards I asked those same students what the hell just happened. One of them told me it was all Scott's doing and that I should take it up with him. Well, I did and we ended up having one hell of a fight about it. Then he said something that really scared me: the principal had once said that this is a school for the students. If that's the case, he was going to take it to a whole new level. With the staff under his control, the students could be free to do whatever they want without fear of the consequences. The inmates would run the asylum, to put it another way. He even tried to convince me to join him, but I wouldn't let his charm bully me into it this time. When he saw he couldn't use his tricks on me, he told me everyone in our group of friends was on his side and if I didn't join him he'd make sure I'd be out of the group and that I'd never have a chance to get back in. I turned around right there and said there was no I'd let him get away with this. That's the last time we ever spoke. Since then I've been trying to get a few people on my side to fight back against Scott. You know, kinda like "rebels versus the evil empire" type stuff."

This was a bit much for Chrono to take in all at the same time. Derek's story was a bit unbelievable yet at the same time a lot of things became clear to Chrono. So this was why a lot of the students could get away with many of the things they were doing. That's why everything at Magdalan High was so screwed up, because of Scott and his ambitions.

"And now I'm gonna tell you why you've become involved in this. Bruce and his people are just one of the many gangs terrorizing the students. They all work for Scott and it's their job to keep everyone in line using fear and intimidation, and to target the weak and defenseless, like you used to be. Scott believes in survival of the fittest and that the weak don't deserve to be in Magdalan High, or as he calls it, his school."

"Scott said that? So that's where Bruce got that from. He said those same words to me one time, Derek."

"Exactly, Chrono. And now you've become involved in this because you actually stood up to them and on top of that, you managed to beat the hell out of them and send them running with their tails between their legs. Scott probably already knows what happened and will want to make sure they make an example of you. You've been targeted and their not gonna rest until they see it through. You've made a mockery of them, and they can't let it stand. They will want revenge."

"So…what do I do now, Derek?"

"It's your choice, Chrono. You can walk away from this place and go on like nothing happened. But that means being the victim again if you think about it. Don't think that you'll be able to repeat what you did to Bruce if you meet up again, or with any of the other gangs for that matter. The way I understand it, you only went berserk because your friend was hurt and the only reason you were able to get the drop on them is because you took them by surprise. You probably fought with your fists flying everywhere instead of aiming for weak spots and actually thinking about what your doing. If you tried that again, you'll be back where you started. Of course, there is the other choice."

"What's the other choice?", Chrono asked, sounding as if he didn't like where this was going.

"Join us. You'll be under our protection and you'll never have to be afraid of Bruce or Scott ever again. We'll even teach you how to fight and be good at it."

"I…don't know…", Chrono said, his voice quivering a bit. The though of being in a fight voluntarily was a bit frightening for him. After all, he was a peace loving kind of guy and Shader would never approve of this.

"Think about it this way", Adam said out of the blue. "Fifty years from now when you're looking back on your life don't you want to say you had the guts to get involved? That you had what it took to take back your life and help others? This is about much more than you, it's about every single student at our school and how this affects them too."

"Adam is right", Viede said. "Think about it. Someone has to stop Scott or else things will just keep going the way they are. Your suffering and the suffering of the other innocent students are all because of him. If we don't do something about it, who will?"

"Like I said, Chrono, you can leave and go on with your life or you can join us and fight the good fight. I just thought I'd warn you about what's coming for you. It's totally your choice. Just be sure you make the one your comfortable with."

"I'll have to think about it, guys."

"Okay. Here's my cell number if you change your mind. Let me know, okay."

_The next day at Magdalan High… _

The bell for recess had rung and Chrono was enjoying his lunch along with Shader. They found themselves a tree to sit under and watched the other students going about their business. Earlier that day, Shader had spoken with Chrono and noticed that he wasn't himself, as if he had a lot on his mind. Now was as good a time as any to ask him what was bothering him.

"Chrono?"

"Yeah, Shader?"

"Is something bothering you? I mean, other than the usual stuff?"

"Yeah."

"So? Out with it already. I'm your friend, you can trust me."

"Shader…look, I can't tell you everything, just that I have a choice to make. Remember the first _Matrix_ movie when Morpheus gave Neo a choice between the red pill and the blue pill? Well, I met "Morpheus" yesterday, and now I have to choose. I'm just not sure what pill I should take."

Shader didn't like the sound of this one bit. What kind of choice was her young friend talking about here?

"Chrono, have gotten involved in something you shouldn't have?"

"I've been involved already whether I knew it or not."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sorry, Shader, but I really can't say anymore. It's better if you don't know."

"Just be careful, okay? Make the choice that you know you can live with."

But before Chrono knew it, his mind would be made up that same day. The trigger for changing his mind was pulled when he witnessed another student being tormented at the hands of another gang of bullies.

"_I can't get involved, it's not my job to do something about it. I never wanted to be involved anyway. But…damn it all, I just can't let this go on! Isn't it better to have tried to do something than waiting for something to happen that will change the situation? Isn't it better to be able to say you at least tried? And if I can make a difference, then why_ _should any more people suffer? Who am I to say no?"_

When he got home, he picked up the phone and dialed Derek's number. His mind had been made up: it was now or never. Derek was pleased to hear that Chrono had made the decision to join them in the fight against Scott. The next day, he met them at their HQ, the old abandoned warehouse outside of town, where he met the rest of the group. There was Kelly, a fiery red-headed teenage girl who was more comfortable around guys than girls, which makes sense if you consider she had two older brothers. Her usual dress was a baseball cap, a black tank top, and military style camo pants with a pair of sneakers to round off the package. G-Money, being the "playa" he was, tried his luck with her on several occasions but she always made it clear that she wasn't interested. She considered G-Money more like a friend and didn't take him seriously when he tried hitting on her. No, her real interest was Adam, and even though she was a tomboy, she still had problems admitting her true feelings and rather admired from afar. Then there was Jamie, Adam's twin brother, who was the calmer of the two. He took things as they came and never made rash decisions. However, when there was fighting to be done he was just like brother, ruthless and deadly. Yes, this may have seemed like a rag tag bunch with no direction. Why was there even a girl in the group? One would think they wouldn't be interested in this kind of stuff. Kelly had her reasons, and she knew how to fight because she had two brothers and roughhousing was the one thing she and her brothers loved to do. However, one thing they had in common was that they were all in Magdalan High and that they all wanted to see Scott come to a fall. Chrono was the youngest in the group, with the others being at least a year or two older than he was. Despite this, they all accepted him like he had always been one of them.

And so Chrono became part of Derek's group, and with that his training had begun. Everyday after school, Chrono would show up for lessons at the old warehouse when he didn't have guitar lessons and Derek and the others would teach him the finer points of fighting. At one point, once the basics were over and done with, Derek encouraged Chrono to develop his own fighting style.

"Why's that, Derek? Can't I just fight the way you taught me? Isn't that good enough?"

"You don't have to fight a different way if you don't want to. I'm just saying that we like to customize our way of fighting to suit different situations. You should do the same if you want to get the drop on your opponents. But it's all up to you."

The next few weeks were some of the best times in Chrono's life. He had new friends now, people who cared about him and who had the same goals he had. From Adam he was introduced to new kinds of music, like rock and metal, which is why Derek called Adam the resident metal head. Jamie was someone who would always be available to listen to and give advice. From Genai and Viede he learned how to be confident, and Kelly became like another big sister to him. And above all, there was Derek, who Chrono admired the most. These changes in his personality were also accompanied by some physical changes. As if overnight, he hit a growth spurt and before he knew it, he was the right size and height for his age. Suddenly, he was getting attention from girls all over the place but he was never really interested.

Shader also became aware of what was happening to her young friend, and she was pleased that he had become more confident and happy for once, even though she did wonder what the reasons for the changes were. One day at school she asked him about it.

"So what's going on Chrono?"

"What are you talking about, Shader?"

"I think you know. What happened to you? You're so confident all of a sudden; you're walking around with you're head held high and smiling all the time."

"Can't you just be happy for me? I mean, isn't this what you wanted for me all this time?"

"Of course it is. All I'm saying is that someone doesn't just change overnight."

"Look, Shader, don't worry about it. Everything's fine."

"If you say so. Hey, you wanna hang out at my place after school?"

"Sorry, but I got somewhere I need to be. Maybe tomorrow."

"That's something else that's bothering me. We haven't been spending that much time together like we used to."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, my bad. I'll make it up to you sometime, I promise."

"Okay then, I'll hold you to that promise."

After school came out, Chrono headed for the old warehouse where he met up with the rest of the group. He walked in on them just as they were discussing their next move against Scott.

"Ah, Chrono, perfect timing. Come over here and take a look at what we got", Derek said as soon as he saw Chrono. "I promise you'll want to see this."

What Derek showed Chrono were photos taken of Scott showing him handing over the bribe money to the teachers on his payroll. The pictures clearly showed Scott's face and the features of the teacher in question. "We got some good evidence here, thanks to Genai and Viede. They caught Scott in the act and took the pictures."

"It was too easy. Scott is pretty sloppy when it comes to security. That's how we got the pictures. He always picks the same place to hand over the bribe, up on the roof", Genai added to the conversation, smiling confidently like he was proud of his work.

"But what do we need the evidence for, Derek?"

"We're trying to gather enough so we can hand it over to the authorities. No one's gonna believe us unless we can gather enough proof to warrant an investigation. This isn't just about who can fight the best, this is about bringing Scott to a fall and for that we need evidence."

"Okay, I get it."

"But now we have another problem."

"What's that?"

"Scott has gone a bit too far now. You thought bribes were the worst he could do? Not even close. Have you often seen a student or two walking into class looking like their drugged and still the teacher never notices? Well, that's because they are drugged. And it's because Scott has made a deal with a drug dealer to sell his goods at the school. He actually allows them to sell that poison to the students and use the stuff as much as they want."

"But…that's insane! Doesn't he realize it's gonna destroy their lives? Doesn't he care what it's gonna do to the school?"

"I don't think he has a conscience anymore. He's been heading on a collision course to self destruction for a long time and he doesn't care if he takes a few people down with him. That's why we need to stop him now more than ever, and for that we need proof."

Suddenly, G-Money came bursting into the conversation like a bat out of hell, struggling to catch his breath. When he did finally calm down, he warned them of a large group of people heading their way. "I count about twenty, maybe thirty of dem fools looking like dey runnin' with Scott's crew coming our way. You know what that means, we gotta represent."

"Are you sure what you saw?"

"Oh, fo' sho'. This homie be speakin' the truth."

"Alright then. Everyone, you just heard what's going on. They're gonna take us on on our own turf, and I say that's pretty stupid."

"Dem nuh ready fo' what's comin' dey way."

The others all agreed and gave their support. Derek knew he could count on them when he needed them. However, he had to make sure of one more thing. He turned to Chrono and said, "Look, if you feel like you're not ready, then stay out of the fight. You can hide here if you want. I'll personally make sure none of them come near here."

But Chrono was of a different mind. Here was his chance to prove his devotion to the cause, and now they want to take that away from him? Sure, they were his friends and he knew they only cared about him, but no way in hell was he going to let this opportunity pass him by.

"With all due respect, Derek, you're crazy if you think I'm gonna let this go by. If I'm gonna prove that I'm worth something to you guys, then I have to be there with you and show you that I'm ready for this."

"It could get nasty out there, and this'll be the first time you'll be in a fight like this. Are you still sure you want to go through with it?"

"Look, there's no more running away for me anymore. My back is to the wall and I'm willing to slug it out with the best of them. These are like the bad old days, the all-or-nothing days, blood for blood, when there's no more choices, when you got to do what you got to do. Scott is gonna get what's coming to him, and I'm ready for war. I say, let them bring it; we'll crush 'em all!"

The others looked at Chrono with their mouths hanging open wide. This was the last thing they expected him to say. It was also the way he said it that surprised them. He spoke with such conviction and authority that they couldn't help but applaud him.

"Homie…that's so deep. I gotta remember that."

"Thanks, G-Money. But while we're all standing here, their closing in on us."

"Chrono's right. Let's go roll out the welcome wagon for them and say hi", said Derek with an evil smile on his face. Out they went and took up positions at the front entrance of their HQ. It wasn't long before the group G-Money had warned them about was standing no more than five feet away from them. One of them emerged from the group and approached Derek. It looked like he had something to say.

"Derek…long time no see, right?"

"Joe…I thought you'd be out of my life after I kicked your ass last time. So what brings you here?"

"As you may or may not know, Scott recently took me in and made the offer of being his right hand man. Being the smart man I am, I gratefully accepted. It's come to his attention that someone has been taking pictures of him behind his back, and he doesn't like it. Since he's so well acquainted with you, he asked me to retrieve those photos you took of him. And he wants them back today."

"So what makes him think I have those photos?"

"You're a smart guy, and so is Scott. Everybody knows you're out to get him, so who else would take those pictures of him? Hand them over, or I'll have to let loose my friends here on you, and I don't think you want to be on the receiving end of what they got to give."

"Now, here's the part where I'm gonna have to tell you that I don't plan on giving you those photos and don't think I'm impressed by you trying to sound like you're educated when everyone knows you're a lowlife just like your old man. For that matter, don't think you're gonna impress me with numbers. Your sorry bunch over there doesn't scare us one bit."

It was evident to all that Joe was trying his best to keep his temper in check. Derek's insults were close to making him blow. "You leave my dad out of this! Just for the record, this ain't no sorry bunch. I picked out these guys myself. They're some of the best fighters Scott has under his command."

"You mean their some of the best bullies he has under his command. You sick bastards don't realize what you're doing to the school and its students. You only care about yourselves. Tell me, how many of you would stick it out with Scott until the end? I bet that if his money had to dry up now, you'd all leave him high and dry without thinking about it twice. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Okay, that's it! You've pissed me off enough now! Scott promised me a bonus if we took you out, so guess who I'm gonna target first!"

"We don't have to do this, Joe. You can just walk away and forget about the whole thing."

"Are you for real? Why would I walk away? I'm gettin' paid good money for this! No way am I passing this up!"

"Since you call yourself a smart guy, I think you'll be smart to listen to my proposal, Joe."

"What proposal? If it's about leaving Scott and joining you guys then forget about it, Derek"

"It's nothing like that. I was going to suggest that instead of all of us getting into one hell of a big fight, you and I should go at it one on one. If I win, you and your posse here leave this place. If you win I'll hand over the photos to you."

"Oh, you are so on! Don't think I'm gonna be a pushover like last time 'cause I've been practicing!"

So do we have a deal?"

"What do you think? Let the ass kickin' begin!"

Derek was about to step out to face Joe when Chrono blocked his way. "Please, Derek, let me take this one! I can do this!"

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that. What if something happened to you? I'd never forgive myself if you were hurt."

"That doesn't make sense and you know it! I became involved in this because I wanted to. Please, I can do this! Just give me a chance!"

For a moment Derek wondered if he would be doing the right thing by letting Chrono go up against Joe. Joe had already been in many a fight, but Chrono wasn't yet battle hardened. Wouldn't he be letting Chrono walk into something he might regret?

Finally, he gave his blessing for Chrono to take his place. "Okay, Chrono, go out there and remember what we taught you. Don't let his size intimidate you and keep your eyes open at all times. One last thing: don't let him out of your sight, stay on him."

Those were the words Chrono were waiting for. With a smile on his face, he thanked Derek for allowing him this opportunity. Meanwhile, Joe was getting ever so impatient. "Hey, is this gonna happen or what?"

"Slight change in plans. I'm not gonna be your opponent anymore."

"You gotta be kidding me! Then hand over those photos right now."

"Hold on there. I didn't say the fight was over. I just meant to say that you'll be fighting someone else in my place."

"Like who?"

"The newest member of my group. Say hello to Chrono, the guy who's gonna send you running with your tail between your legs."

With that, Chrono stepped forward, ready to go. Joe gave him one look and burst out into a near uncontrollable fit of laughter. His gang followed suit by joining him. "What the hell are you trying to pull here? Are you that scared that you have to send a kid to do a man's job? If you want to see him die today, then I'll be happy to send him to his maker!"

Chrono wasn't impressed a bit by Joe's trash talking. "Talk all you want, but words won't win this fight."

"You know what, you got a point there. Then allow me to bring the pain!"

By now a circle had formed around the two, preventing either one from escaping. Not that either had escape on their minds. For Chrono, this was do or die.

Obviously, the others were questioning Derek's decision to let Chrono go in there. There was so much at stake here that they couldn't understand why Derek would allow this.

"Yo, homie, have you gone mad up in here?", G-Money asked, pointing to his head as if to emphasize that Derek had lost it.

"I'm with G-Money on this one. Why'd you do it? He's gonna get murdered out there and you allowed it!", Adam said, letting his point of view be known.

Before anyone else could say anything else, Derek explained his motivation. "I know you all think I'm crazy, but hear me out. You all saw how much he wanted to prove himself, but we never wanted to give him the chance, myself included. How's he ever gonna learn if we're too scared for his sake? Sooner or later, he is gonna have to face the enemy head on and I don't know about you, but I'd rather let that be sooner than later. Think about it: we didn't go to all that trouble teaching him to fight for nothing."

"But do you think he can do it?"

"I know he can, Genai. I believe in him, and the best way to show our support is if you guys believe in him too. He knows what's at stake; he won't let us down."

And he was right. Chrono kept in mind everything he was taught. Even when everyone around him was screaming, he blocked that out and kept Joe in sight. No matter how he tried, Joe couldn't land a single blow on him because Chrono kept dodging out of the way. This frustrated Joe to no end, making him exert even more energy.

"Stop dodging all the time! You're nothing but a coward! Face me like a man!"

But Chrono wouldn't do as Joe wanted. Soon Joe was all tired out from hitting air the whole time and that's when Chrono saw his opening. Derek was pleased to see that Chrono had applied what he was taught: if the opponent is bigger than you are, tire him out and then make your move. Now Chrono was hitting Joe any place he could, making double over with the pain. Once he saw it was all over, he punched Joe one more time through the face, sending him to the ground as fast as gravity would allow.

All was silent. The only sound that could be heard was Chrono breathing heavily, yet he had a smile on his face that words could not describe. Smiling along with him was Derek; his faith in the young man was well placed. Everyone else just stared at the scene before them like it was too unreal to believe.

The first one to say anything was Derek. "Well, guys, Joe's been beaten thanks to Chrono here and if I remember right our deal said that you guys have to leave now. So how about it? Are you gonna leave here peacefully or are we gonna have to send you running to your mothers?"

They didn't need to be told twice. As soon as they had collected what remained of Joe, they all ran like the devil himself was chasing them. That day, Derek was like a proud parent, constantly congratulating Chrono on his success. Chrono was just glad that he had proven his worth to them at last.

From then on, Chrono would be part of every fight they found themselves in, and every time he fought, he became better and better, further developing a style of his own like Derek had suggested. Truly, those were the best days of his young life. Now he had respect and he wasn't afraid anymore, he had friends who supported him and believed in him. Under these conditions, how could anyone not be happy? Sure, his parents were still arguing but that hardly bothered him anymore.

But something would take place that would be even more important than what had already happened. One Monday, his teacher announced that a new student would be joining them. The moment she stepped through the door, Chrono's mouth hung open. She was by far the most beautiful creation he had ever seen. Blonde hair going down to her waist, blue eyes that you could get lost in, and a perfect smile that could make even the coldest heart warm. He didn't even hear her talking about herself after the teacher had asked her to introduce herself to everyone. All he could do was stare at her and admire her beauty.

"_Heaven must be missing an angel, 'cause that's the only way to explain how she got here!"_

Suddenly, the "angel" came walking straight at him! His heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw her coming and a cold sweat was breaking out on his face. She occupied the vacant seat next to his and when she turned to face him, his cheeks turned a bright red.

"Hi", were the first words she ever said to him. "I'm Jessica, nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Uhm…I…uh…I'm….Chrono", was all he could get out. Almost immediately he cursed himself in his mind for sounding so stupid. Now was not the time to get all weak at the knees! But he couldn't deny that she had an effect on him he couldn't explain.

"Chrono? I think it suits you. Hey, are you feeling okay? You look a little sick."

"Me? No, I'm…just fine…really."

"Are you sure? You're sweating and your cheeks are all red. Maybe you're coming down with something. Perhaps you should see the school nurse."

"No…it's nothing. Really, I'll survive."

"Okay, if you say so."

Yet he had no way of knowing that this girl would be just as instrumental in shaping his future as all the other events thus far had been…

_XXX End Flashback XXX _

By now, Rosette was completely amazed at what she heard so far. It was all a bit much to take in. Just by looking at him, you'd never imagine that so much had happened in Chrono's life already.

"I never knew just how much you've been through. It all sounds so unreal and at the same time I can't stop listening. By the way, who's the girl?"

"I'm not done telling the story yet. Just give me a chance to catch my breath, I've been talking non stop for almost an hour here."

"Oops, my bad, Chrono."

"Well, if I'm not gonna be interrupted any further, then let me go on…"

Rosette made sure she was sitting well, because she didn't want to miss any of this. It was just starting to get good, and somehow she knew it was just the beginning of what Chrono had to tell her…

Author's note: And so we come to the end of yet another chapter and the last one for 2007. It was a pretty good year for me, and I hope it was for all of you as well. Here's hoping 2008 will be even better.

For those that are wondering, I didn't write chapter ten in just a day's time. I wrote it bit by bit as I found the time, so it wasn't like I did it in one afternoon or anything like that. I gradually put it together and then one day I found the time to put the finishing touches on it and voila! Chapter ten was all finished and done.

To answer Dragoon-Yue: You're right, I did notice that I sometimes forget to indicate whose talking. It's something I'll have to work on so thanks for reminding me about it.

To raise another question, does anyone know what happened to the author of the fic "In The Life of A Rock Star"? I really miss that fic, how about you guys? It'd be a shame to see it disappear into obscurity.

Something else that bothers me: Why does it happen so often that when an anime is based off a manga, that the animation studio handling it sometimes deviates completely from the source material? Why can't they just stick to the original storyline instead of changing it like they want? If someone out there has an answer or any thoughts about this, let me know.

Also, if any of you have any ideas that you'd love to see make an appearance in this fic, let me know. I pretty much know where I want to go with this plot wise, but you are the people reading this so let me know if there's something you want to see happen. Let no one say that I don't cater to my readers.

In other news, it seems my anime problems have been solved. I have mentioned on my profile that I can't seem to get any new anime where I live. That problem has been solved better than I could have imagined. My parents are in a position to be able to afford satellite television and recently a new channel became available that is completely devoted to anime! Thanks to the people at Sony for making that possible. The channel is called Animax and at the time of writing, their showing Eureka Seven, Gundam Seed, Last Exile, Dot Hack Sign, Dot Hack Legend of The Twilight, Earth Girl Arjuna, Solty Rei, and recently Magister Negi Magi Negima. And this is just the daytime schedule. Late at night, they show the more mature and violent animes like Basilisk, Hellsing, Tenjo Tenge, and Ghost in The Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I can't remember the rest 'cause I've never been able to stay up that late before, although I know there are more shows late at night other than the ones I've just mentioned.

All the shows on the channel have been translated into English, but the opening and ending themes are still Japanese. I don't mind, 'cause let's be honest: sometimes the English themes for animes suck.

Eureka Seven, Gundam Seed, and Solty Rei are three of my favorites. But who else thinks that Flay Allster from Gundam Seed is a little bit annoying? I find her just a little too emotional sometimes. Last Exile was pretty good, even though I never got to see all the episodes in the correct order. The two Dot Hack series were also good, although I liked Dot Hack Sign more. I found Legend of the Twilight a bit dumbed down for my tastes. Lately I find myself watching Magister Negi Magi Negima on a regular basis too, mostly because I can identify with Negi's clumsiness around the members of the female species. Hell, I'd never survive if I had to teach at a girl's only academy! Still, when are those girls gonna realize he's just ten years old? What's he got that older guys don't? My sister, on the other hand, absolutely loves the show and can't wait for the next episode.

By the way, if anyone figures out who Jessica is supposed to be, then congratulations to you. You've just seen through me and my plans.

Well, I think that about wraps things up. Here's seeing you all again next time…

Oh crap, did I just mention I have a sister? You weren't supposed to hear that! Okay, now I've got no choice left. (Puts on sunglasses and takes out the memory eraser device from Men In Black.) Sorry to have to do this, but you know too much. (Presses the button on the device that produces the flash). Okay, repeat after me: Saracen RedHawk doesn't have a sister. Good, that should take care of that.

Now as I was saying, here's hoping you have a great New Year and I'll see you then with a brand new chapter. Until then, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off. (Cue sound of static)


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